Darkest Skies
by StevMarie
Summary: Levy finds herself more and more attracted to the darkness that lies beyond Fiore's borders. Her curiosity in tow, she finally finds the courage to brave the mist that separates the two domains. What she finds on the other side is enough to send terror through her bones... and may be the most beautiful thing in the world. Rated M for violence/gore and possible lemon in the future.
1. Chapter 1

This was the moment Levy never thought would arrive, that she would be standing at the edge of the darkness that rested outside of Makarov's kingdom. Staring at the twisting black trees and choking fog that stopped only a few short feet away from her, she could already feel fear slither its icy fingers around her heart. Her eyes wandered through the haze, wondering what monstrosities could exist on the other side of Fiore's protection, something that caused so much fear in the heart of its citizens that warnings were etched along its edge. '_All who enter do not return…'_

As a child, she had travelled there with her friends late at night, playing games along the edge in order to induce fear in each other. They used to edge close to the fog, having contests about which of them could get the closest or stay inside the choking miasma the longest. She had always been terrified to get close, leaving the more daring games to Erza, Natsu, Grey, Jet, and Droy.

But now…

Stories of the terrors on the other side had been told late at night by the fireside when she was an adolescent. She remembered shivers tracing up and down her spine when she heard of the atrocities that lived in the mist. A thirst for blood and carnage that killed and left corpses to litter the ground like leaves in the autumn.

Then Lucy arrived…

She came from the other side, the remains of a wealthy family that had been trapped in the darkness. She refused to talk about what had come from the forbidden realm, saying only that she would never go back. Even after the two had become friends for years, the only thing she could get from her blonde friend was the tattered remains of a memory…

"…there was darkness… darkness and blood… blood that stained the walls like paint. The next day my father said my mother wasn't coming back home."

The curiosity ate a Levy like a parasite, making her crave the knowledge no one was willing to give her. Even Makarov himself shied away from the subject, saying only that little girls had no need to hear of the terrors that walked among the shadows. So, the bluenette turned to her only other course of action: books.

History. Theology. Religion. Geology. Cryptozoology. Ponerology. Anthropology. Demonology. Diabology. Enigmatology. Folkloristics. Mythology. Teratology.

She tried everything, researched _everything_; anything that might have given her a glimpse into the world beyond. Just when she thought she was making progress, the book ended or it was completely redirected. Topic changes. New chapters. Wall after wall after wall blocked her way. Did no one share her curiosity? Her passion to see the unknown?

And there she stood, staring at the wall of mist in front of her. She took a shaky breath, steeling herself, and stepped into the cold mist.

It was like flipping a switch. The light of the world behind her was completely snuffed out, leaving only dark gloom to surround her. As she walked into the mist, her eyes darted into the shadows. Everything seemed to sway with the even swells of fog that pulsed around her like a cold heartbeat. The world seemed to be swept into a vacuum. Even her footsteps seemed muffled, as if the darkness had absorbed all of the sound in the expanse around her.

A shriek suddenly cut through the darkness, making her freeze in her tracks. She wrapped her arms around herself, risking a turn in all directions. Fear started to collapse on her like a noose around her neck. Something scurried in the shadows beside her and she darted away, taking refuge under the shadow of a huge, black tree. She leaned against the cool bark, taking slow breaths to try and steady her racing heartbeat.

Then, like a deer that knew a hunter was nearby, she bolted. Crashing through the barrier and into the light of Fiore, she fell to her knees outside, terror still sending tremors through her body.

She looked behind her, the shriek sounding again somewhere in the distance.

Tomorrow, she decided, tomorrow she'd be back. And tomorrow she'd go even deeper.

* * *

It had been weeks since that first day, and every day Levy had gone deeper and deeper into the fog. In her last venture, she had seen something huge looming in the distance. She'd approached it, as close as she'd dared, and found it to be a huge castle. Its spires pierced the sky like fangs and filled her vision with an ominous black that she had thought couldn't be possible, even in the dark realm outside of Fiore. The premises was bare of life, neither human nor creature seemed to lurk around the castle. As she stared at the huge stained-glass windows, she had decided she was going to return to that place. Something pulled at her to enter its darkness.

And so, she began her journey into the mist.

Soon she came to the familiar clearing that opened up to the castle. The twisting trees pulled back in a uniformed circle around it, as if the soil there was too cursed for them to grow. She hugged herself against the chill that worked its way down her spine. Her eyes made their way to the dusky windows, still as barren and cold as her last visit.

Something caught her eye in the highest window of one of the spires. She squinted, trying to make out the shadow in the widow, wracking her brain as to whether or not it had been there during her last visit. Suddenly, it shifted, as if turning to face the window.

She froze, the hair on the back of her neck rising.

The shadow darted away from the window.

She gasped, backing away. The shadow flashed in a different window. It was headed down the spire, into the main of the castle… coming for her…

She darted into the forest, fear making her limbs shake. She heard footsteps quickly approaching, loud booted feet that tromped loudly after her. She felt a scream making its way to her throat as she realized there was another set of footsteps, and another.

Suddenly, she ran into something and fell onto her back.

"Well hello there, girly," the man smiled wickedly as three more came up behind her. Their skin was tinted grey from the lack of sunlight. Their eyes glinted in the darkness like a wild animal's. Their teeth were broken and jagged, smiling at her with disgusted pleasure.

"We've been watching you for a while," one of them smiled, his eyes glinting in the darkness, "What do you think you're doing here, fairy?"

"I-I was j-just…" she scrambled up, trying to back away. They blocked her exit, circling her like wolves around a lamb.

"I like fairies," one of them grabbed her arm, making her cry out in pain, "they make such a tasty little treat."

"Let me go!" she screamed, trying to pull away. The man just laughed and pushed her into one of the other men.

"You're not going anywhere," he smiled, his breath making her gag. She felt tears pushing behind her eyes as his hand stoked down her face.

Suddenly, his head snapped up and he jumped back, dragging her with him. Something dark grabbed one of the men and pulled them into the shadows. His blood-curdling scream was suddenly cut off.

"Wha-!" another one was dragged into the shadows. She heard a sickening snapping noise.

"Shit! We gotta get outta here!" the man pulled her after him as his last friend was devoured by the shadow. Blindly, she followed, terror wiping her mind clear of anything rational.

"What is that?" she whispered, her voice shaking.

Suddenly he stopped. She could feel him trembling in front of her. She peeked around his shoulder and gasped at what she saw.

A man stood in front of them. His black cape wrapped around his shoulders in a way that concealed his form underneath. Tangled black hair fell around his shoulders. His face was pale and scarred with rivets running up his nose and above his eyebrows. Glaring red eyes bore into them, void of anything besides murderous intent.

The man pulled her in front of him, using her as a human shield between her and the dark man in front of them.

"H-here! Take her! Just leave me alone!"

The man didn't say a word, only walked towards them. He pulled his lips back into an ugly sneer that made her cringe. Blood stained his teeth red and long canines stretched past his lips.

"Vampire?" she gasped, her words barely above a shaking whisper.

In one strong motion he knocked her away as if she were no more than a gnat, grabbing the man by the collar and lifting him into the air. She just lay there, unable to pull her eyes away as he sunk his teeth into his flesh. Blood spurted into the air as he screamed. His skin paled until it was almost transparent, and then the cloaked figure dropped his corpse onto the cold ground.

She didn't think horror could strike her any more until his gaze fell on her. Her body shuddered as he stepped towards her. Each stride carried strength and purpose. He crouched over her, his eyes captivating her in their deep red pools. He took a deep breath and sighed, as his breath hit her face she felt herself suddenly go limp and faint.


	2. Chapter 2

"Levy! Wake up!"

Levy jolted awake to the sound of Lucy calling her name. She sat up and shook her head, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"Levy? What are you doing all the way out here?" her friend's worried eyes came into her vision.

"Where…?" she looked around herself, her eyes still trying to focus. She was a few yards away from the border, just on the Fiore side. She could see the moon high in the sky and guessed the time to be either very late or very early.

"Levy? Are you ok?"

She pulled her eyes up to meet her friend's. Worry creased her brow and set her lips in a fine line. Levy forced a smile.

"I'm fine. I was just going for a walk… I must've fallen asleep while I was out," she could tell Lucy wasn't really buying it but accepted the answer nonetheless.

"Everyone's been really worried about you. Jet and Droy haven't been able to sit still," she offered her hand down to the little bluenette who took it graciously, "You shouldn't be so close to the edge,"

"I… I guess I just wasn't paying attention,"

As they walked back towards their home, Levy couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Had he saved her? And if so, why? She could feel her curiosity nagging at her from the back of her mind, pulling her back into the mist. Back to the castle. Back to the man that had saved her…

The vampire.

She looked over her shoulder at the mist. For a brief second she thought she saw a shadow move in the fog. Fear crept through her bones when she remembered how he'd slaughtered the four men who'd cornered her.

And yet her curiosity nagged at the back of her mind…

* * *

She stared up at the piercing spires of the castle. It had been so long since she'd been back and fear had made her once again wary of the shadows. She looked into the dirty stained-glass windows, trying to make out the figure of the man who had saved her. The windows, however, were barren of light and life. An eerie emptiness permeated around her as she stood in the vast shadow of the stronghold, making her feel cold and alone.

A slight breeze ruffled her hair, sending a chill through her limbs.

'_What did you expect, Levy? That he'd just be sitting out here waiting for you? Assuming he doesn't kill you this time?' _she thought bitterly, wrapping her arms around herself. She let out a sigh and turned to leave.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing here?" the voice was cold and hard, and seemed to come from everywhere around her. She froze, terror gripping her and making her shivers become more violent.

She heard what sounded like a flag snapping in the wind and a dark figure dropped in front of her, landing solidly on the ground. His cape settled around him as he straightened and turned to look over his shoulder at her, his red eyes glistening intensely. His lips pulled back into a snarl, showing his extended canines.

"I-I…" she swallowed hard as he turned to face her. He had the look of a feral animal, untamable and bloodthirsty, "I wanted to thank you… f-for saving me…"

A sick smile came to his face as he approached her. His red eyes pierced through her, rooting her in place.

"Because I killed the rats the mouse came to thank me," he chuckled darkly, circling her where she stood, "How quant,"

Levy tried to remain calm under his gaze, but her instincts were screaming at her to run. She knew he could kill her at any instant… suddenly she realized how much she really hadn't thought this through… something very out of character for the calculating bookworm.

"I was curious…" she started, trying to keep him in her sight. He looked like a predator, and even though she knew she should be scared, the side of her that always grasped for more knowledge found itself entranced by him. He was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Even though he was undoubtedly a merciless killer he reminded her of a tiger in the wild, "…why did you let me go?"

He seemed to be taken off guard by her question. He stopped circling her and just stared at her, his upper lip twitching slightly as his mind was working. Something flashed through his eyes as he watched her, something Levy knew but couldn't quite place…

"What does it matter? My mercy was wasted on you," he growled, stalking towards her. She immediately backed away. Her footsteps came to a halt when she found herself pressed against the cool stone of the citadel. He approached her, a smirk coming to his lips.

He brought his arms swiftly forward, his palms hitting the brick and making it crumbled beneath his strength. Levy yelped, trapped between his strong, scarred arms. She realized no matter what she did, escape was hopeless. He brought his face close to her, his breath once again brushing against her skin. She felt the air between them reverberate as another growl slipped past his lips.

"You know, I could crush you between my fingers if I wanted," he whispered, low and menacingly, "or I could just drink you dry. You'd probably be a nice little snack. It's been years since I've had fairy blood…"

"But you won't," she whispered, her voice so tiny she almost couldn't hear it.

His eye twitched and rage slowly started to highlight his bloody eyes. He scrunched his nose in an angry snarl, rearing his head back and baring his fangs.

"Gajeel," the voice made him stiffen, "Let her go,"

Levy looked past him to see a large black panther. A scar ran across its eye and it stood upright. Its tail twitched back and forth agitatedly. She noticed a large red sword hung across its back.

"She's from the other side," he growled, crossing his arms, "or have you forgotten?"

Gajeel turned his head to face Levy, still baring his teeth. Suddenly, he stepped back, turning his back to her and walking past the panther. He only stopped to look over his shoulder at her one last time.

"Let this be your warning fairy," he growled, "don't come back,"

The two watched as he leapt into the air, making it fifty feet to a balcony and disappearing inside. Levy guessed it was where he'd emerged from only moments earlier.

"Shall I escort you back to the edge, miss?" the panther said, bowing ever so slightly, "Young women such as yourself shouldn't be out alone here,"

She suddenly realized what she'd seen in his eyes.

A reflection of what was in her own.

Curiosity.


	3. Chapter 3

"No! Let me go! Please!"

"Quit your screamin'," Gajeel growled, lifting the man up by his collar. He sank his fangs into his throat, immediately feeling a rush as the blood ran past his lips. He could feel the life draining from the mortal, his flesh turning cold as stone. Finally, the struggling ceased and also the heartbeat. With a feral growl, he threw the lifeless body to the ground. He wiped the remaining blood from his lips, making drops run to the tips of his fingers.

"You're becoming a glutton," Pantherlily sniffed, standing in the doorway, "You could at least clean up after yourself."

The hulking panther had long become used to his friend's bloodthirsty habits. Gajeel didn't even look at him, choosing instead to stare at the droplets on his fingers. They glistened in the dull light, dripping to the ground in perfect ruby orbs before splashing onto the cold floor.

He heard a dull thud as Pantherlily dropped the body unceremoniously down a chute that led to the depository behind the castle. He'd burn the bodies later. Humans thought of incineration as a respectful way to be preserved after death… right?

"Do you know who those three men where that you killed the other day?" Gajeel didn't answer. He was too busy licking the blood from his hands to really care, "They were some of Jose's men. I don't know what's worse, knowing that he's sending lackeys into our front yard or knowing that you slaughtered them to save some light dweller,"

Gajeel's eyes flashed towards him. Pantherlily didn't move. He wasn't fazed by his bloodthirsty stare. He knew Gajeel could be way worse.

"I don't give a fuck about Jose," he growled.

"Then why the bloodbath?" he crossed his arms, staring the vampire down, "Is it the girl?"

"Tch," he turned to face the stained glass window. Her scent was still fresh in his mind. Unlike the people who dwelled in the mists, she was so full of light. She smelled sweeter than a precious rose. He could still catch the faint aroma of old paper and stale ink that had clung to her.

Just the thought of her made him thirsty again.

He had desperately wanted to taste her. Being so close to her by the castle had almost been enough to make him do it. She was just some girl, after all. Nothing more than one of the weak little sunlight lovers that couldn't last a day in the darkness that he thrived in. He wondered if she tasted as good as she smelled…

"So it is her," Pantherlily broke his thoughts. Just like always, he had to swoop in and ruin all his fun. He'd quite enjoyed terrorizing the little fairy until he had to interfere. But it was probably for the better. She probably had friends on the other side… maybe even suitors. Surely one of them knew where she'd been spending her days. Killing her would have merited more trouble that he didn't need. The last thing he needed was more enemies, not that the spineless light-dwellers would really pose a threat against him.

"It's been a few days. I think she got your message to stay away,"

"If she knows what's good for her," he grunted before turning and heading for the door.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"Hunting," was all he replied before disappearing through the dark corridor and out into the chill.

* * *

Levy had no idea why she was back. She thought she must be a masochist or secretly have a death wish. But there she was, crossing the border and headed for the black castle. Her curiosity still pulled her and like a blind servant she followed. This time she at least came armed with a knife tied to her hip, though she doubted it would do much good against the threats in the mist.

She hadn't gotten too far before she felt she was being watched. She stopped, apprehension making the hair on her neck stand up straight. She turned in a circle, easily making out a familiar shadow among the trees. Red eyes glinted back at her.

"You don't know how to listen, do you?" he hissed.

"You still don't know how to be friendly," she smiled as she walked towards him. As she drew nearer to him, she could make out his facial features. She noticed a trail of blood coming from his lips and disappearing down his neck. She shuddered at the sight.

Gajeel smiled a toothy grin at her, "What's the matter? Blood make you squeamish?"

"N-No," her brow furrowed.

"Go home, fairy. This place is too dark for you,"

"You never answered my question,"

"Tch," he wrinkled his nose at her. She couldn't really be serious. And yet, there she stood, determination on her face. She was irritating.

"Well?" she cocked an eyebrow at him. She placed her hands on her hips and stepping close enough to him that she had to crane her head back in order to look at him. And then, like a wave her scent tumbled over him, overpowering his senses and making his predatory instincts suddenly flash into overdrive. Everything about the tiny girl screamed weakness, and yet she stared him down as if he were no more but another mortal.

He snuffed, looking down his nose at her. Suddenly, he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Where are you going?" she bristled. He could just imagine her face flushing angrily. It almost made him chuckle.

He waved a hand dismissively, "Do whatever the hell you want, shorty. It'll be your funeral,"

"I have a name, you know!" she yelled after him. He could hear her feet crunching on the coarse ground beneath them as she tried to catch up, "I'm Levy McGarden,"

McGarden? Why did that name sound familiar?

"Go home," he growled over his shoulder.

"Not until you answer my question!"

"Annoying pipsqueak," he felt the comforting shadow of his fortress fall over his shoulders. He placed his hands onto the huge doors and pushed them open. For a human, the task would have been impossible without at least two or three strong men, but for him it was a simple task. The opening of the doors sucked in a gust of wind, as if the citadel itself was yawning.

He heard Levy gasp behind him. A smile played on his lips at the amazed look on her face.

"What is this place?" she whispered, following him inside the giant hall.

"I thought you said you were going hunting," Pantherlily's disapproving look came from up on an overhang.

"Geehee," Gajeel looked up at him, flashing him a large smile, "Why don't you give her a tour while I clean up a few things. Think you can manage that?"

"A tour?!" the girl gasped. She flew up the steps next to Pantherlily who gave her a strained smile. He looked after Gajeel as he departed out the same way he came, an intensity falling across the set of his shoulders. A dark presence tugged at the back of his mind.

_'Jose…'_


	4. Chapter 4

Gajeel wasn't like the mortal girl who was easily lost in the maze of trees on the other side of Fiore's border. His eyes were keen and could see far into the haze that forever clung to the air like a disease. As he approached the darkness that lurked somewhere deep within the tangled black branches, he could easily make out the purple form that was Jose. He stopped approaching when the fellow immortal turned, exposing rows of razor sharp teeth in his smile.

"Gajeel," his voice made Gajeel's ears twitch with distaste for the sound, "How have you been fairing all the way out here? Drinking healthily?"

"What do you want, Jose,"

Jose frowned, his eyes glinting like and animal's. The air was so tense Gajeel thought he might choke. He hated this man.

"A few of my men went missing a while ago. I was wondering if you might have… intercepted them?" he stepped to the side, starting to pace like a lion trapped in a cage. Anger was rolling off of him freely now.

"Were they yours?" Gajeel tilted his head to the side, running his hand through his hair as if he was seriously considering the topic, "I suppose they could have been… but I knew you'd know better than to send them into my territory so they must have been runaways at the least. Correct?"

Jose growled. His purple eyes flashed in rage. Gajeel knew the ambitious vampire well. He knew Jose coveted his spot on the edge of the border. The dark man was obsessed with the world of the light. Or rather, he was obsessed with destroying it.

"My sources tell me that you killed them to save some fairy," Jose had stopped pacing, shooting him a dark look from under his hair, "Is this true?"

Shit. He knew there had been another one of those bastards lying low somewhere.

"Save some weakling light-dweller?" he snorted, a wicked smile touching his lips, "And why in the hell would I do that? Or even better, why would some little _fairy girl_ come across the border? I'd have a talk with your spies, Jose,"

Jose smiled sadistically, "Who said I was talking about a girl?"

Well fuck.

"You either get me that girl or I'm coming after you Gajeel Redfox," he turned his back, his cape rustling with the movement, "I'm giving you three days,"

* * *

"She's rather interesting," Pantherlily smiled, crossing his arms as the girl whirled around Gajeel's throne room. The vast hall echoed with her unremitting chatter as she studied everything in the hall. Gajeel just stared at her. She was like a small child, eyes wide in wonder as she asked questions that she quickly answered with her own vast wealth of knowledge.

"Jose wants her," Gajeel muttered quietly, glaring at her as if all of his problems were centered around her tiny, carefree form… and they kind of were.

Pantherlily's ears flattened against his head and he looked at Gajeel out of the corner of his eye, "You're going to let him take her?"

"What do I care about the little fairy girl? He can have the nuisance for all I care. Let him deal with Makarov's wrath," he growled in return, diverting his gaze. He could feel his friend's glare bore through him. If there was anyone's opinion he cared about, it was his.

Without a word, the panther stalked away, his tail swishing about angrily. Gajeel could see his muscles rippling under his fur as they flexed. He was furious beyond words and the scent hit Gajeel like a brick to the head. His heart quivered… did he feel… guilty?

"Where did Lily go?" the girl suddenly piped up, looking at him with huge, brown eyes.

"Lily?" Gajeel's nose wrinkled in disgust of the name. Who in the hell was Lily?

"Pantherlily," she smiled, "I started to call him Lily for short."

He gave her a dubious look before answering, "He had some stuff to take care of around the castle,"

"Oh…" she looked down at her feet, "But he still had some places to show me,"

Her bottom lip stuck out just slightly in a pout. She intertwined her fingers and opened them back up again nervously. He could see the disappointment in her eyes as she stood. His brow furrowed.

_'When did I go soft?'_ he felt his heart tug at the sight of her. He wanted to see her happy again… for some ungodly reason.

"Close your eyes," he said gruffly. She jumped, her eyes once again wide with curiosity.

"B-But… Why?"

"I said close your eyes, Shrimp," his lip twitched as if he were about to snarl.

"My name is Levy!" she glowered, stomping her foot. He just crossed his arms, staring down at her. She was a tiny spitfire… cute…

Wait… WHAT?! _CUTE?!_

Reluctantly, she closed her eyes and he swept her off her feet. She felt like a feather in his arms, as if he were cupping a delicate flower in his hands. She let out a light gasp and a deep blush filled her cheeks. Before she could react, he ran to the giant bay windows, sliding them open and jumping onto the railing of the balcony. He looked up to another balcony about twenty feet up. One strong jump sent them both into the air and he landed lightly, trying not to jolt her.

Finally, he sat her down.

"Ok… open them,"

Levy's face immediately lit up. Her eyes were glowing at the spectacle before her.

A library so huge and so beautiful stood before her. Shelves and shelves and shelves were lined with hardback books. She couldn't hold herself back from running through the shelves and running her fingers across the ageless spines. The smell of old paper and ink filled her lungs and made her feel like she was walking on air.

"You own this?" she said blissfully, marveling at the hundreds of titles around her.

"I do," he smiled.

Levy thought her breath had been stolen away from her. Just a little up-curve of his lips and all of a sudden her heart stopped. His eyes were devoid of the bloodthirsty intensity she'd always seen there before. His arms weren't crossed from irritation and his shoulders were relaxed. Like this, relaxed and happy, Levy suddenly realized that he was absolutely stunning.

Blush suddenly made her cheeks feel like they were on fire. He was happy because she was…

"That's incredible," she said, breathless. He walked past her, running his fingers where hers had been, tracing down the line of books. His ruby eyes had a far-off look to them.

"I've been collecting these over the years. I figured one day I'd get around to actually reading some of them… guess I just never found the time," his eyes suddenly cut over to hers, immediately captivating her.

"Oh?" Levy could have smacked herself. From all the vast knowledge that was contained between her blue locks, 'oh' was the only thing she could conjure up? Pathetic.

"Feel free to enjoy them for me," he said, his voice low.

He might as well have just seduced her. She felt heat flush through her body at his words and her heart suddenly started to race. He walked away from her through the walls of books but the damage was already done. She realized in that instant she was far more than attracted to the dark vampire… and he felt some semblance of feelings for her as well.


	5. Chapter 5

Levy knew she had been reading for hours and her eyes were starting to feel heavy. She blinked rapidly, trying to fend off the drowsiness that was starting to consume her but found it harder and harder to do so. Finally she stood, deciding to find Lily so he could walk her to the border.

As she stepped into the hall she soon realized that she was completely and utterly lost. She hadn't seen how Gajeel had brought her to the library (although she was sure it involved some acrobatics on the balconies on the outside of the castle) and so she had no idea which way to go in order to leave… not that she even knew where Lily or Gajeel was in the vast place to begin with.

She sighed, deciding that finding stairs down would be her best course of action at the moment. She roamed the corridors, figuring she run across some stairs at some point in time. As she slowly made her way through the candle-lit place, she grew more and more distraught. The place was like a labyrinth.

After what seemed like forever, she finally came to a set of stairs. She realized that it must have been in one of the spires because the stairs also led up. She looked down but found her curiosity had piqued once again. What would happen if she went up? Against her better judgment, she hurried up the stairs. She would just make her visit brief, of course.

As she approached the top she started to hear noises. Muffled bangs and growls started to echo faintly down the stairwell. She swallowed hard, pushing herself forward until she came to a large door. She heard a yell on the other side and then the muffled voice of Gajeel.

She swallowed hard, thinking that she probably didn't want to know what was happening on the other side of the door. She noticed a small crack that allowed flickering light to filter into the hallway. She crept closer to the door.

Gajeel hissed, throwing some unfortunate soul against the stony walls. She was surprised to see he was without his cloak. His pale skin was stretched tightly against toned muscles that made Levy want to go weak. He was fearsome, wearing black pants and high black boots that almost came to his knees. In contrast, he wore a brilliantly red shirt.

She noticed a gash in his arm.

"Fuck you…" a tired, raspy voice came from the ground. Levy's eyes focused on the man that Gajeel had tossed. He held a knife in his hands and tried to stagger to his feet. In a flash, Gajeel had him by the collar, lifting him off of the ground. The man tried to struggle but was powerless in the vampire's grasp.

Levy swallowed hard, feeling sick to her stomach.

"Unfortunately for you, I no longer have any more use for you," a dark look came to Gajeel's eyes.

"Rot in hell,"

"After you,"

Levy jumped as a pair of hands grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and quickly turning her away from the room that was now filling with screams. She found herself looking into the eyes of Pantherlily, who motioned for her to stay silent and quickly carried her down the stairs.

"You shouldn't be wandering around here," he growled when he finally set her down on the first floor. He looked down at her in the way a father would that was scolding his child for doing something dangerous, worry touching his eyes.

"I… I was just…" she diverted her gaze, "…I wasn't snooping,"

He opened his mouth to say something but immediately stopped, his eyes looking past her. She turned her head and saw Gajeel standing in the doorway, his red eyes swimming. His cape was back around his shoulders. He looked at each of them before tilting his head in curiosity.

"I was just about to walk Levy to the border," Lily grunted, motioning for the door.

"I'll go,"

"Y-You really don't have to…" Levy started, but he was already headed for the exit.

He looked over his shoulder at her, "You coming, Shrimp?"

She felt a strained silence stretch between them as they walked. He just looked ahead, his red eyes penetrating the fog. He wasn't fazed by the rustling in the shadows; not even diverting his gaze for the briefest of investigations. But then, would a tiger jump at the crackling of mice running in grass?

"What's it like?" she suddenly blurted, her own brashness surprising herself. He looked at her questioningly, "Drinking blood, I mean…"

He turned his attention forward again, his eyes looking into the distance as he thought. She saw his tongue run across his teeth, "What's it like to drink wine?" he countered.

"I mean… were you ever human?" she looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"I suppose I was once," his eyes were once again distant.

"You suppose?" he didn't respond, "…well… what does it taste like?"

"Why do you want to know?" his gaze was guarded when it met hers. The look caught her off guard.

"I… I was curious…"

"Curious about the taste of blood?" his lips curled into a sneer, "Is that why you were spying on me earlier as well?"

She felt like all of the blood had drained from her face, "I-I…"

"Why is it that you really came here?" he turned on her, his red eyes blazing. He took a step towards her, making her retreat from him. His whole countenance had shifted, turning dark and angry, "Did some little fairy stumble innocently into this world?"

She tripped over the roots of one of the great black trees, making her stumble and fall against it. He cornered her, trapping her against the cool bark of the tree. She shuddered as his shadow engulfed her. He trapped her between his arms, digging his claws into the tree's flesh on either side of her.

"…Ooor…" he dragged out the word, his voice low and feral, "did you come here for some darker reason?"

He face was so close to hers that the tips of their noses almost touched, "Is it strength you seek? Power? I doubt a weak little light-dweller like you has many enemies…"

His cheek brushed hers and his breath whispered past her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Panic was slowly making its way through her limbs as his lips travelled lower. His cold breath slid over the skin of her neck and collar, making her tremble.

"Or do you just have a taste for the dark side… hmm, fairy?"

Her breath came in and out in tattered gasps. His hand came up to caress the side of her cheek, making her head loll to the side. He brushed her hair out of the way, exposing the flesh of her neck to him. She didn't quite understand what had happened to get them to this point. She felt like a puppet and he was her master, controlling her movements with every stroke of his fingers.

She felt her breathing stop when his lips brushed her neck, his tongue sliding out to send a trail of fire across her flesh. His lips parted, exposing his long fangs. They brushed delicately against her skin, their tips scraping against her flesh…

"You don't… scare me…" she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed.

She could feel his entire body stiffen at her words. With painful slowness, he withdrew. His fiery gaze met hers, devoid of the malice that had been there just moments before. She brought her hands up, sliding them under his cloak to press her fingers against his chest.

His chest was firm and warm underneath her fingers, not cold as she had expected. She could feel his chest vibrating as a growl made its way up to his throat. Her hands made their way up his chest to his shoulders, his muscles relaxing where she touched. Her hands trailed down his strong arms…

"Your wound is gone…" she said quietly, her eyes looking at him in wonder.

"Iron," he murmured.

"Huh?"

"Blood tastes like iron,"


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy was beside herself with worry. Levy had been disappearing for weeks now, telling no one where she was going or what she was doing. At first, the blonde thought she might just be going home until the day she had found her by the edge. She had known immediately that the sleep she was under wasn't just because she had been tired. And so, she decided to follow Levy earlier that day to see just where she was going… and who she was seeing.

She had been shocked when Levy had walked carelessly into the mist. As much as she wanted to follow her, to tell her she shouldn't go, she couldn't get herself to enter the mist. So many nightmares and memories flashed through her head. Fear for her friend made her stay and wait for her, hoping she'd return.

That's when she'd seen them.

At first she saw the small figure of Levy coming through the fog, and relief had washed over her, making her want to cry. But then a larger figure, dark and looming, approached behind her. She covered her mouth with her hands, fighting the urge to run. Red eyes flashed from underneath long black locks with a pale face that disgusted her so much her stomach turned.

To her utter disbelief, he followed her to the edge, far closer than any vampire had been to Makarov's kingdom in centuries. And Levy turned to him, giving him a carefree smile before saying a happy goodbye, and promising to be back tomorrow. And the monster smiled back.

"Levy!" Lucy ran up to her after the dark figure had disappeared back into the mist, fear making her frantic, "What in the world do you think you're doing?!"

Levy froze, turning to her friend in shock, "I… umm…"

"Do you know what that was?!" she hugged her friend, tears falling feely from her eyes, "You could have been killed…"

"Lucy, really, I'm fine…" the little bluenette tried to shake her off, obviously upset by her tears.

"What in the world do you think you're doing, going into the dark lands?" Lucy's face was filled with endless worry. What could she have been thinking?

"I-I was…" Levy looked at her feet, intertwining her fingers nervously, "I wanted to know… what was on the other side…"

Lucy was furious, "Do you think this is some kind of… _child's game_?! That's a _vampire_, Levy! He'll kill you without a second thought!"

"G-Gajeel?" Levy put up her hands, trying to keep the enraged blonde at bay, "H-He wouldn't hurt me…"

"_GAJEEL?! _You know it's name?!"

"He… he saved my life…" Levy began, but Lucy interrupted her, her eyes brimming with angry tears.

"Only so he can save you for later!" she raged, her limbs shaking, "How do you think my mother died?! They don't care about people! They don't have compassion or wonder if maybe you have a family that they're stealing you from! They're cold-blooded killers! That's all they are!"

"…Lucy…" Levy whispered, wrapping her arms around the blonde's shoulders. She was sobbing freely, her hands covering her face as she grappled with whatever memories were surfacing in her mind. Levy felt heartbroken for her, but knew she couldn't tell her what she wanted to hear… she couldn't promise she wouldn't go back.

"You can't go back… you can't…" Lucy whispered, "I won't let you,"

"I'm ok, Lucy," she said, trying to smile for her friend, "I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen to me,"

Lucy just shook her head and pulled from her embrace. Levy called after her but she just walked away, tears streaming down her face. Her best friend, the only person she could really call family, might as well already be dead.

* * *

Levy heard a loud crunch as Gajeel hopped from the branches of a tree, landing a few meters behind her. She turned around and smiled at him.

"Good morning," he said, his red eyes flashing as he approached her. He was without his cape and she could see every muscle ripple as he walked up to her. He was wearing tan pans and a tight black shirt, still donning the knee-high boots from the day before. He smirked at her, flashing his dagger-like fangs, "Geehee… surprised?"

She suddenly noticed that she had been staring and her cheeks turned a deep crimson, "You're not wearing your cape," she murmured.

She felt his hand brush against her cheek and pull her chin up so she met his gaze, "You're amusing when you blush,"

Her heart started to pound in her chest and she felt butterflies suddenly explode in her stomach. He dropped her chin and walked past her, his arm brushing hers as he did so. She swallowed, trying to rein in her rampaging emotions and ignore the tingling sensation that was going through her arm from his touch.

"You coming, Shrimp?" he called over his shoulder.

"My name is Levy McGarden!" she yelled, running after him. He waved his hand dismissively. She caught up with him, having to step quickly in order to keep up with his long stride.

"Do you have any questions for me today, Levy McGarden?" he looked down at her, his nose crinkling when he said her name. Her eyes immediately lit up, inquisitive and searching.

"Oh yes," she jumped, a smile coming to her face that was so large it touched her eyes, "I have so many… I tried reading, but no one writes about vampires in Fiore. Its like the whole topic is taboo,"

"Really…" he ran his tongue against his teeth, "I wonder why,"

"Where should I start…?" she mused, looking up at him, "Can you walk in sunlight?"

He blinked, furrowing his brow at her question, "What do you mean? Of course I can,"

"Oh… well… ok," she smiled. He could almost see the wheels turning in her mind, as if she was cataloging everything he was saying in her vast wealth of knowledge, "What about wooden stakes?"

They were approaching his castle, its giant shadow collapsing over them, "What about them?"

"Like… a wooden stake to the heart? That's like… a vampire's one weakness, right?"

"I can't die," he said, stopping and looking down at her. Her face filled with shock and awe and she looked at him with huge eyes.

"Are you serious?"

"Well… not like that," he lifted her off the ground, crouching low, before lunging into the air. He landed lightly on the balcony that led to the library, making Levy marvel at his strength and precision. He was absolutely amazing…

"Then how?" she said, breathless as he placed her lightly on the ground.

"Why? You think you can kill me?" he flashed his teeth at her, although his eyes portrayed amusement.

"Maybe," she smirked. He snorted at her, as if the even thought were ridiculous… and she had to admit, it probably was.

"You've probably already realized that when I drink blood it helps me heal," he said, running a hand through his tangled black locks. She nodded, listening intently, "well… we can't heal by ourselves, we have to drink blood in order to heal. Say I were to get mortally injured, I would survive as long as I could get blood. Otherwise, my body would just lay there, waiting for me to consume blood… or someone to get it for me, anyway."

"So… you can't really die?" she asked.

"Well… decapitation seems to work pretty well," he smirked, obviously remembering something. Levy wasn't so sure she wanted to know.

"So… you've killed your own kind before?"

"Oh yeah," he said, a wicked smile making his lips curl, "if they got in my way, I took 'em down."

"But why?"

"Let's just say, I'm not the worst guy you could have run into," his smile vanished, "You know how with humans, there are good guys and bad guys?"

"I guess…"

"Well, here, there are only bad guys… but some of them just take it the extra mile," his gaze was distant, as if reliving a memory, "I used to be like that."

"Used to?" she tilted her head to the side, "What changed,"

"I met someone even worse," he gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Levy couldn't even begin to picture a Gajeel that was worse than the one she met the first time she'd seen the castle… let alone someone even worse than that. The mere thought sent a shiver down her spine.

Silence stretched between them for a while as the two were enraptured in their own thoughts. Finally, Gajeel sighed and looked at her, "Anything else you want to know?"

"You were human once?" he nodded, "How do you make a vampire?"

He gave her a sideways glance that made her blush. He reached over and brushed her hair away from her shoulder. His touch made a shiver run down her spine and his blazing eyes captured hers. She felt his fingers brush against her neck.

"First, you have to drink their blood until they're barely holding on. You have to be careful, because if you don't stop in time they'll die," she found herself unable to pull away from his gaze. Her skin tingled where he touched her and she felt her breathing become faster, "then, you have to let them drink from you,"

His gaze was so intense she thought she might melt where she stood. His tongue ran across his fangs and she could see the vein on the side of his neck standing out. A growl reverberated in his chest and she noticed malice start to see into his face.

"Do you want to kill me?" she whispered, bringing her hands up to touch his chest. His red eyes flashed and he smiled wickedly.

"Absolutely," he growled. Her heart started to pound in her chest as his face neared hers.

"Where's Lily?" she breathed as he brought his knuckle up to tilt her head back.

"Dunno," he whispered huskily.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she braced herself for what was going to happen next. Instead of piercing pain in her neck, she felt his lips brush against her own. In the next instant, she felt herself collapsing into him as his mouth claimed her. His hands pulled her close, grabbing her roughly. Fire raced through her veins with every delicious kiss that pushed against her lips.

Suddenly, she felt his entire body stiffen and he pulled his head back.

"…wha-?" her eyes gazed at him foggily. His head was turned towards the door and every muscle on his body was taught enough to snap. A terrifying growl shook the air around him. Suddenly, she felt very scared.

The door to the library creaked open, and a tall, pale man wearing a purple cloak stood in the doorway. He smiled maliciously, showing rows or jagged teeth like a shark's. He laughed darkly, filling the air with a dark tension.

"Hello, Gajeel,"


	7. Chapter 7

"Jose," Gajeel spat out the word as if it tasted bad in his mouth, "What in the hell are you doing here,"

"Me? I could ask the same of that little light-dweller you have there," his smile made Levy's stomach turn. She could tell immediately that this man was pure evil, "No matter. I said I wanted her in three days but since you have her _now_…"

"You won't touch her," Gajeel growled, pushing Levy behind him. All the color drained from her face and her limbs went weak with fear. What did he want her for?

"Oh I won't?" Jose smiled, stepping into the library. As he did, scores of men flooded in after him, all of them wearing malicious smiles and eyes full of malevolence. A look of distaste came to Jose's face, "Kill him,"

Gajeel hissed as they charged, his eyes flashing in rage. He lunged, slashing the throats of the approaching men. Blood splattered into the air, filling the room with the screams of dying men. But with every one of Jose's lackeys that went down, two more swelled into the room to take their place. Levy backed herself against a wall, covering her mouth as the carnage ensued.

Gajeel was like a predator among them, smashing heads into the ground with brute strength and slicing throats with his claws. He grabbed one man by the face and hurled him at Jose, taking the other vampire off guard at they slammed into each other. Suddenly, one of them lunged past Gajeel and grabbed Levy, yanking her after him. She tried to pull away but his grasp held firm and he twisted her arm behind her back, making her scream in pain.

"Gajeel!" she screamed as the man tried to drag her away. There was a red flash and the next thing she knew she was released. She felt strong arms encircle her protectively. Gajeel bared his fangs and the approaching men stopped their procession, too terrified to near the enraged vampire.

"Gajeel, you're hurt…" Levy whispered, fear and worry making her shiver. There was a large gash in his arm, and she noticed blood seeping down his leg as well.

"Its just a scratch," he growled, but she could hear the pain in his voice.

"Just let me have her, Gajeel," Jose's voice sounded smug as he approached them through the crowd of terrified men, "and you can go back to your quiet life on the edge."

"Over my dead body," he growled, his eyes flashing murderously.

"That can be arranged…" Jose smiled spitefully, throwing back his cape and pulling out a large sword. In a quick motion, he brought the sword around and thrust it through Gajeel's chest, pushing forward until it was lodged in the bookcase behind him. Levy screamed and Jose reached out his free hand to grab her by the hair and pull her against him.

"Gajeel!"

Gajeel spluttered blood, trying weakly to move. His face contorted in pain and his hands desperately tried to grasp the sword, tugging it feebly. His strength was failing and he could feel his blood draining from his wounds, pain making it harder and harder to move. He coughed as a hand pulled his head back, red eyes locking with his.

"All of this could have been avoided, friend," Jose smiled, "and honestly, I could have cared less about the girl. But a little birdie told me she was a McGarden and well… now I just can't let her go free… you understand don't you?"

"Bastard…" Gajeel coughed, spitting at him. Jose wiped the blood off his face with disdain. He brought his hand back and his him hard in the face. Levy heard a snap and his head hung limply, blood trickling down his face from the blow.

"…no…" she whispered, horror and sadness sweeping over her. She screamed his name as Jose dragged her away; desperately trying to struggle out of his grasp even though she knew the effort was futile.

His hands twitched, his fingers constricting around the blade. His vision was fading and he desperately tried to fight it.

"…Lev…vy…"

* * *

His vision was swimming. He couldn't understand what was real and what was lunacy. At times, he thought he heard voices echoing in his head. They were malicious and full of painful screams. Sometimes he thought he saw shadows moving in the corners of his vision, occasionally flashing red eyes.

"We can't let them live…"

Who?

"Makarov is the one who did this… trapped us here…"

He could see Jose sitting at the head of a table. His purple eyes flashed as he spoke.

"Most humans are worthless creatures but you're different. I've heard about you, Gajeel Redfox. You've killed vampires and you're just a feeble human… how interesting…"

Fuck off.

The illusion faded.

"There's a legend that says one day, a human will lift the fog that separates Fiore and the Dark Lands, bringing light and happiness to the world once again…" a sadistic smile, purple eyes, "You can understand why we wouldn't want that, can't you?

Kill all of them. Leave none alive,"

"Yes, sir."

"Do this, and I'll give you the power you've been searching for,"

"What's the name?"

"McGarden,"

Fire… so hot it seared flesh from bone. Screams filled the air, wailings of mercy and children calling for a lost mother. Then, there were just the cracklings of the fire eating a blazing house.

"They're all dead,"

"Go make sure,"

He walked around the house, searching the windows for any signs of life. The fire was engulfing the weak structure. Nothing could be left now.

He saw the doors to and outside cellar. They flew open and a young woman ran out, arms wrapped tightly around a small bundle in her hands. She rushed for the trees, hoping to find refuge in the twisting branches.

She hadn't seen Gajeel standing there when she'd tried to escape.

He rushed after her, dagger in hand.

He overcame her in the forest, slicing her throat and silencing her forever. She fell over the bundle, her last act of protection for the thing she'd held in her arms. He was curious and lifted it from her arms. What could she have wanted to protect so dearly?

Small blue curls fell around a sleeping face. Large, searching brown eyes opened up to him, a smile coming to its face as she reached her arms up to grab his long black hair.

He wrinkled his nose, noticing a chain around its neck. He flipped it over, a name hastily etched in the tag. '_Levy McGarden._'

Merciless killer, he was, but baby killer he was not. His heart ached for the small girl in his arms, a feeling of remorse he hadn't had since he was a child. He hid her in the nook of a tree before reporting back to Jose, informing him that he'd caught the last of the McGardens.

"Good," he smiled sickly.

Later that night, he returned, taking the child across the border and sneaking into the small town, leaving her on the doorstep of an impressive-looking house and retreating back into the mist before he was spotted.

'_Wake up…'_

He wanted to stay asleep, where the pain couldn't get to him.

'_Wake up…'_

His chest was on fire… why?

'_I said, wake up!'_

Who in the hell…?

_'I know you're alive, now wake up!'_

His hands twitched, trying to wipe whatever was sticky on his face off. They wouldn't move.

"Wake up!" the voice demanded.

He opened his eyes, seeing only blurred shadows. He blinked, trying to make out what was in front of him. Blonde hair and brown eyes stared at him, a fierce look in her eyes.

"Yeah, that's right, stop playing dead," her voice was hard, her face filled with disgust, "Now, where's Levy?"


	8. Chapter 8

Lucy had known something was wrong when Levy didn't come home that night. She had waited outside of her house, hoping to talk to her again. She was terrified of what was in the mist, but losing her friend terrified her even more. She waited until night fell and the moon was high in the sky but she never came. Finally, she left, hoping to find her there the next morning. Once again, the house was empty.

That's when she'd gathered up Natsu, Grey, Juvia, Erza, and Wendy. She told them about how Levy had been sneaking out into the mist and that she hadn't returned home. Reluctantly, they agreed to follow her into the Dark Lands without alerting Makarov. She insisted secrecy was their only option, so as not to start an open war along the border.

Arming themselves with knives, they had journeyed into the darkness. Wendy had hidden behind Lucy the entire time, the poor girl not even sure why she'd agreed to come along. Erza, of course, led the way, trying to act brave for the group even though they could see the gooseflesh hidden under her scarlet hair. Natsu and Grey were startlingly silent, and Juvia was clinging to Grey's arm, fear etched on her face.

That's when they'd seen the giant castle looming in the distance. Lucy knew immediately that this place was where the vampire would have lived; close enough to the border that a wandering Levy would find it, but far enough away as to not attract attention from the people that lived on the Fiore side. They'd seen where a large group of people had trampled in and followed the carnage they had created up the winding staircases and into the library.

Everyone had been repulsed by the bloodshed before them, everyone except for Lucy. She had seen this kind of slaughter before, though not to this extent. Dead and decomposing bodies lay piled on the ground. Dozens of them, eyes open and mouths gaping were strewn on the ground like blood-soaked confetti.

That's when Lucy had spotted him, the sword securing him to the wall leaving his feet dangling just centimeters above the ground. Blood seeped over his face and out of his mouth, a blow on his head matting up his long black hair. He had large gashes on his arm and leg and his blood pooled on the ground, dripping from the tips of his boots.

"Shouldn't we take him down?" Wendy whispered, tears brimming her eyes as she stood behind Erza.

"No, he might come after us," Lucy said sternly, turning to the vampire, "besides, he's not dead,"

Then he finally came to, opening his glazed-over red eyes. He gritted his teeth as he tried to move, obviously in great pain. Lucy just gave him a look of disdain.

"…I said, where's Levy?" she glared at him, brining her hand up to grab the end of the sword.

"…Lucy…" Natsu cautioned, but she paid him no mind.

She bumped the end of the sword, sending even more intense pain through Gajeel's chest. He tried to growl but only choked on the sound, spitting up more blood. He desperately wished he could drink his own blood, then he might be able to get the strength to get down…

"Lev…vy…" he gritted his teeth, the words barely making it out of his throat. Pain made it hard to breathe and he realized his lungs must have been punctured. Death sounded so peaceful compared to the intense pain.

She just glared at him, her eyes cold to his pain. He realized that she must not be from the world of light like Levy. She had to know of the cruelty that lurked in the Dark Lands. Her friends, however…

"Lucy, please let him down…" Wendy whispered, covering her mouth with her hands. He could see her shaking.

"His spine is broken," Erza said, shooing the blonde away, "he can't come after us if we let him down,"

Gajeel thought that maybe leaving him pinned to the wall would have left him better off. She quickly pulled out the sword, making him yowl in pain as he fell to the ground. His entire body screamed with agony as he hit the ground, as if his bones were made of glass. He heaved but there was nothing in his stomach to come out.

"We need to help him," Wendy said, fighting the urge to rush to his side.

"Are you kidding me? He's a vampire! He'll kill us all!" Lucy raged.

He growled at her, the sounds coming out weakly. He was sick of this; he had to find Pantherlily and Levy. Gathering up as much strength as he could muster, he pulled himself forward with his arms, making the six light-dwellers jump back. Gajeel paid them no mind and focused on his target: a table with various bottles sitting on it. He silently thanked Pantherlily for insisting on storing fresh blood in case he would for some reason need to drink without being able to hunt.

He pulled himself over the bodies that littered the ground, trying to ignore the pain that ran up and down his spine as he moved. His muscles screamed in protest, his body's natural instinct of conserving his dwindling energy trying to keep him from going farther. It seemed like miles to the table, but finally he collapsed at its base, his lungs desperately trying to gain air.

"Wendy!"

"…um… is this what you need?" the meek girl picked up one of the bottles and handed it to him.

As soon as the coppery-tasting substance hit his lips he felt relief flush through his veins. It was sour and stale, but invigorated him nonetheless. He felt his spine suddenly snap into place, making him choke. Then the pain in his chest and back started to ease until he finally had the strength to pull himself up. He felt his body tense up until he doubled over, finally expelling the blood that had been filling his lungs. He never thought he'd be so happy to be able to breathe again.

He looked up at the blue-haired girl, her eyes filled with concern and fear. He huffed, pulling himself up and he turned to her. He could hear the others holding their breath.

"Thank you,"

"You're welcome," she smiled up at him, all fear completely erased from her face.

"Now tell us where Levy is," Erza said, letting her new weapon relax.

"Jose took her," he immediately saw recognition flash in Lucy's eyes, "You know who he is?"

"I've only heard about him…" she said, fear obvious in her voice.

"Where is he?" Natsu said, clenching his fists.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Gajeel scoffed, grabbing another bottle.

"We're going to retrieve her," Erza said, no hesitation in her voice.

Gajeel choked, not even trying to suppress his laugher, "You can't be serious? A bunch of light-dwellers infiltrating and killing one of the worst and oldest vampires to walk the Dark Lands? What a joke,"

"Oh yeah? At least we didn't get pinned to a bookcase!" Natsu shouted back, an angry fire in his eyes.

"Natsu…" Lucy shushed him, still uncertain of the dark man before them.

"I was ambushed," Gajeel growled, downing the rest of the blood and tossing the bottle aside, "trust me, he ain't catching me off guard again,"

He walked past them, heading for the door. He didn't have time for this.

"Where do you think you're going?" the blonde demanded, following after him.

"Ain't none of your business, bunny girl," he growled.

"What do you mean its none of my business?! Levy is my best friend! Do you mean to tell me you're not going after her?!" she raged, grabbing his arm in an attempt to turn him around.

He turned on her, pushing her up against the wall. Fear suddenly welled in her eyes and he could hear her suck in a quick breath and hold it.

"Let's get something straight, blondie," he growled, "I don't give a shit about you, or any of your other friends from Fiore. I'm going after Levy _on my own_ and you aren't going to be barking orders at me. Now, please keep in mind that as much as that bottled up shit helped me out, that don't mean you won't make a nice snack if you get in my way. Understand?"

She gulped, her eyes never wavering from his. What was it with light-dwellers and not being afraid anymore? Was he so soft that he just reeked of happiness and affection that they came flocking to him all of a sudden?

"Please," he turned his head. Wendy walked up to him, putting her hand on his arm, "Levy is our friend… we want to help,"

He stared at the girl, completely dumbfounded. She had not a trace of fear in her eyes or voice, only worry. He hated it, but he knew he couldn't take down all of Phantom Lord by himself. He'd need help, but looking at the rag-tag group of friends he had no idea if they'd be a help or a hindrance. It was obvious the red-head knew her way around a sword and Lucy knew a thing or two about the Dark Lands, but what about the other four? He suspected the boys probably knew a thing or two about holding their own in a fight… but light-dwellers? What could they really do against Jose's men? Not that they were much more than hired thugs anyway…

What the fuck was with him and blue haired women?

He released the blonde girl.

"Come on," he grunted, walking down the hall, "We might as well find Pantherlily while we're amassing a small army,"

He suddenly remembered why he preferred to live alone.


	9. Chapter 9

They found Pantherlily exhausted and lying next to the entrance. He had been overwhelmed by the amount of men that Jose had brought with him and they had left him for dead. Fortunately, the large cat was much more durable than they had thought and was sloppily trying to patch himself up.

"You're supposed to warn me when we're raided, cat," Gajeel growled, although the worry for his friend was clear on his face. Wendy rushed to his side, taking the stitching needle he held in his hand and sewing the wound on his side together.

"I'll remember that next time," he grunted, flinching with the effort. Once the small girl had finished, he bowed in thanks and painfully pulled himself to his feet, "So… we're retrieving Levy?"

"We? You might need to stay here," Gajeel said, looking at him critically.

"Don't insult me," Lily growled in reply, "You look like shit too,"

"Yeah but I just need to drink something," he glared, but the panther glared back, never willing to budge when he decided something, "…Fine. But I'm not saving your ass if you get hurt,"

They embarked into the hazy void of the Dark Lands. Occasionally, Gajeel would disappear and reappear, always coming back with a little more energy than before. The others didn't seem to notice his disappearances except for Lucy who watched him warily. She didn't know what to think of the brooding man. When she'd lived in the Dark Lands, she had never actually seen a vampire, let alone travelled with one. She'd heard that vampires were fearsome creatures that stalked the night, preying on the innocent and draining their lifeless bodies of all of their blood. A blood-drinker he was, but he seemed very shy of the fearsome vampires she'd heard about who'd been able to take down armies and control blood, sometimes using it to manipulate their victims. Staring at him, she was extremely skeptical.

"You gonna keep starin', Blondie?" he growled at her after catching her watching him for the millionth time.

"How do you expect to kill Jose? He's probably the coldest man who ever walked the earth and an even worse vampire. Not to mention, he left you pinned to a wall for your efforts last time. So even _if_ Levy is still alive, how do _you _expect to take him down?" she eyed him angrily.

"I have some tricks up my sleeve," he growled, his red eyes flashing, "And trust me, she's still alive,"

"How do you know?" Erza spoke up, drawing the attention of the brooding vampire.

He realized just how much of a sorry bunch they were. One were-cat that was badly wounded, a small defenseless healer girl who was whispering something to help mend his wounds, a brutish red-head who knew her way around a sword, a fire-eater that was nervously messing with a lighter, a black-haired street kid and his teary-eyed girl, a blonde heiress who seemed only good for muttering insults and shooting him suspicious looks, and a retired mercenary-turned-vampire with a bad temper. In all honesty, he had no idea whether or not Levy was alive or even if he could save her if she _was_ still breathing. Her life hung a thin thread: Jose's battle with either removing his only threat to completely destroying the land of sunlight or torturing some poor helpless light-dweller.

"Because Jose likes to play with his food before he eats it," he muttered, desperately hoping that for once he was right.

* * *

Levy had stopped struggling long ago, resigning herself to the fact that there was no way for her to get free. It took a day for their giant group to navigate messily through the fog and finally making it to Jose's fortress. Her tears had ceased hours ago. All she felt was numb, as if this was all just a nightmare and she just desperately needed to wake up.

Went they'd gotten to Jose's huge throne room, he'd had her tied to a pole next to his cathedra. The rest of the men sat at tables strewn about the place, drinking and eating. Some of them came up to her to spit insults or make crude comments about her or what they would do to her if they could get a hold of her. She just couldn't get the thought of Gajeel out of her head. A fresh wave of sorrow rushed through her as she pictured him there, crucified in the library, left to endure pain until someone took mercy on him and let him down. She desperately hoped Lily was ok, though she was sure she'd also seen him lying on the floor dying as they'd dragged her away.

A dark shadow passed over her, "Enjoying yourself, fairy?"

She looked up into Jose's ruthless purple eyes. He smiled sadistically as he stared at her.

"What do you want with me?" she whispered, looking up at him boldly.

"Isn't it obvious? I want to kill you," he smiled, making a terror-filled chill wash through her.

"Why? What did I ever do to you?" she demanded, her brain feeling like it was about to short circuit.

"That's simple… you lived," his smile turned into a disdainful frown, "I just think its hilarious really. After all this time I'd thought I'd ridden the world of the last of the McGardens… and here you are,"

"What?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the legend that one day a human would lift the barrier that kept the dark in the Dark Lands and the light safe and sound in Fiore?" she nodded, remembering the tale. Though, she had thought it was just a child's story, "Well, I'm quite fine with the darkness we have here, in fact, I had plans to expand it. So, of course something like that would get in my way and so I did a little research and found out that the human would in fact come from the McGarden bloodline," he smiled then, a disgusting smile that made Levy's stomach turn, "Its cute… you see, before Gajeel was a vampire, he was nothing more than a mercenary. He was strong enough to endure the darkness and killed many vampires in exchange for great wealth. I was his last job, but when he came to dispatch me I offered him something better.

He killed the entirety of the McGarden family, and I granted him the power he'd been searching for,"

Levy's stomach seized. She could feel the color drain from her face. She'd always known she'd been adopted but her parents had just told her that they had never known her biological parents whenever she'd asked. She had never put much research into tracing her bloodline, not that she really could without knowing her parents' names. She'd never dreamed she'd had a family that lived in the Dark Lands… or that they had all been brutally murdered by none other than the vampire she had come to know and, yes, even love. She felt like her world was shattering around her.

The despair in her eyes made Jose smile, "Your entire existence was due to his weakness that day. He trapped your family in their house and burned it to the ground, all except your mother who managed to escape, but he quickly killed her as well. I had never realized that she had been trying to protect you, or that he had betrayed me by hiding you in Fiore. But none of that matters now, because now, you're mine,"

Tears ran down Levy's cheeks as she looked at him, her voice coming out firm and defiant in front of the monster before her, "Gajeel will save me,"

"Please," he scoffed, his eyes flashing, "_if_ he gets down and survives his injuries, do you honestly think he'll come for you? Who do you think commanded him to draw you into the Dark Lands? You don't honestly think he cares for you, do you?" he laughed, the sound making Levy cringe, "Vampires don't have hearts. Unfortunately for you, you had to pay for that lesson with your life,"

Suddenly, Jose's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes at the door. Levy could hear loud noises coming from the other side, and then the doors swung violently open as a man flew into the hall, landing at Jose's feet like a ragdoll. Levy gasped, looking to the door.

She didn't know whether to feel joy or terror.

Gajeel stood in the doorway, fury making his red eyes almost iridescent. His hands were spread, the tips of his fingers elongated and forming into talons. His shirt was torn and blood ran down his mouth and chest. The sight of him was so fearsome it put Jose to shame.

"Gajeel," Jose growled, stretching out the word into a hiss.

Gajeel smiled a Cheshire cat grin, his teeth dripping blood, "Miss me?"

"Bring me his head!" Jose barked. All of the men in the hall jumped to their feet and charged. Suddenly, fire burst into the hall, sending them sprawling back. Familiar pink hair charged into the room, tilting his head back and blowing on the lighter in his hand, sending fire spiraling towards their attackers. Erza and Lily burst in after him, both furiously cutting through men with their swords. Juvia and Grey burst in as well, followed by Lucy and Wendy.

Gajeel's eyes locked with Jose's and he headed straight for him, slicing the throats of anyone who got in his way. Jose didn't seem fazed; he just watched Gajeel's approach, a growl coming from his lips.

The two vampires clashed, growling and hissing at each other like animals. Gajeel grabbed Jose by the arm and used his brute strength to sling him against the wall. Jose tried to brace himself and brought his leg up to kick Gajeel in the jaw, sending him tumbling backwards. He pounced on him but Gajeel rolled out of the way and grabbed his face, slamming it into the ground over and over and over again until Jose's face was gushing blood.

Suddenly, men poured into the hall, filling it to the brim with fighting bodies. One by one, each of her friends were taken down. Levy's small bit of hope suddenly began being snuffed out as three men grabbed a hold of Gajeel, dragging him off of their bloodied leader. It took several of them to restrain him, pulling him to the ground and twisting his arms back almost far enough to break them.

His eyes seared with hatred.

Jose gathered himself as the rest of Levy's friends were brought forward behind Gajeel. He wiped the blood from his mouth, spitting on the ground in front of Gajeel. He walked over to his throne and pulled out a sword from behind it. He bared his teeth at them.

"So, you came to save her, did you?" he growled spitefully, "Well, now you all get to watch her die,"


	10. Chapter 10

Gajeel tried to break free of Jose's lackeys but could do little besides stare helplessly. Each second seemed to turn into hours as Jose brought back the sword. Levy's eyes were full of fear and pleaded to him silently for his help. He screamed her name, as if doing so would break some sort of spell that bound him in place. Instead, Jose's eyes flashed with murderous rage and he plunged the sword through her flesh, leaving a deep wound in her lungs. She screamed, choking on the pain. The smell of her blood filled the room with a sweet aroma akin to the smell of a dying rose.

Something suddenly happened in Gajeel's reality. Something inside of him shattered into billions of tiny pieces. Hope. Joy. Love. Light…

He was suddenly consumed with an indescribable feeling as dread turned into hate and finally a fiery rage. Heat flushed through him and something that had been left untapped in the recesses of his consciousness suddenly came brimming to the surface. His eyes fogged over, filling his vision with red and he felt nothing besides the need to decimate every living creature in the citadel.

Power surged through him. Suddenly, he no longer saw the beings around him as human but just an array of circuitry and he was a lightning bolt. He looked to one of the men holding him, his veins splaying out in a beautiful blueprint. He targeted the vein in his neck, calling forth the blood with so much force it exploded through his skin, making him scream in pain and fall in death on the ground.

The stench of fear filled his nostrils as the others near him realized what had happened. Racing heartbeats filled his ears and he once again called forth blood that rained down on him as the restraining arms that held him back collapsed. As he stood he pulled forth his newfound power, screams sounding all through the hall as blood sprayed into the air, covering the floor and walls with the warm, sticky substance.

He could see the sheer terror in Jose's eyes as all of his men fell to the ground dead. Gajeel's eyes were glowing red and his lips were pulled back in an animalistic snarl. All of his humanity was gone, the perfect killing machine. Jose retreated a step as Gajeel approached, calling forth the ocean of blood and using it to create a deep red scythe.

"G-Gajeel… stop this…" he stammered as Gajeel approached, pulling back the giant blade to ready a fierce blow.

Gajeel couldn't even hear his words. Jose was speaking a completely different language. Mercy? What was this thing he was pleading for so deplorably? Stop? How could he stop? He was unfeeling, unforgiving, and wanted nothing more than to see the vampire's head roll on the floor.

He could fear voices echoing around him, little impish voices telling him to kill him. No need for encouragement, he was happy to oblige. He brought back the weapon, slicing it across his torso, making Jose scream in pain as his top and bottom half were completely severed. He tried to crawl away, his arm desperately trying to pull him away. Gajeel growled, grabbing a handful of his locks and lifting him off of the ground. He snapped his neck as if it were a toothpick and then twisted, severing the head from its center. As Jose's form disintegrated into dust between his fingers, so too, did his rage.

He felt as if all the strength in his body had left him and he had to steady himself. He felt as if he'd just awoken from a dream, but reality came crashing back too quickly as he heard Lucy screaming Levy's name. He turned to see them laying her on the ground, having already freed her from whatever was binding her. He fell to her side along with the others who were desperately trying to get her to respond. Wendy looked at the wound, tears coming to her eyes as she realized that it was fatal. Questioning eyes turned to her, but she could only shake her head solemnly and hide her face in Lily's arm.

Levy took in a tattered breath, turning her head to Lucy, "What… are you guys… doing here?"

"We came to help you," she tried to smile gently, tears coming to her eyes.

"All… for me…?" her voice was weak, her breathing becoming labored, "I… love you… guys…"

Tears were streaming down all of their faces as her eyes started to flutter closed.

"Hey, hey, hey…" he brought his hand up to brush her cheek as a tear slid down, "You're fine, Shorty."

"My names… Lev… vy…" her bright eyes looked up at them, the familiar look of death starting to set in. She tried to smile but the look was pained. Her words were becoming weaker.

"Levy…" Gajeel tasted the name on his lips, "I love you, Levy,"

"I…" she choked, the pain making her eyes squeeze together.

"Can't you save her?" Lucy whispered, sobs wracking her body. She looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please?"

His heart felt like it was being ripped in half. He desperately wanted to help her, but he didn't want to be the cause for her demise. She was a beautiful creature of the light and he had no right to pull her into the darkness with him. He was such a selfish man…

He looked down at the failing girl, searching for her eyes, "Levy," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her cheek, "I'm sorry,"

"Look away…" Pantherlily cautioned, pulling Wendy against his chest.

Gajeel lifted Levy delicately into his arms. Her head lolled to the side and her eyes fluttered open to lock with his. He kissed her gently on the lips before running his tongue against her neck and biting down. He felt her fingers constrict against his chest slightly at the pain and then start to loosen.

He didn't feel right drinking from her. Every person he'd ever fed from had always been done with the intention to kill not save. As her blood pushed past his lips he felt the rush hit him, this time more fervently than ever before. His claws dug into her skin as he drank and he could feel her life force slowly start to slip away.

Finally, he relinquished his grasp on her throat and cradled her head forward. He ran his tongue across his fangs, slicing the flesh open until he could taste blood. He brought her face up and kissed her, pushing his tongue past her cold lips and running against his tongue.

For an agonizing moment he gained no response, making him wonder if he'd been too late. Then, faintly at first, he felt her respond. Her tongue ran against his and she started to suck gently. He pulled away from her searching lips and used his fangs to slice the flesh on his arm and held it to her mouth. She took to him readily, running her tongue against his flesh before sucking on his wound fervently.

Suddenly, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down, sinking her teeth into the flesh of his neck instinctively. He winced as she did so but allowed her to keep feeding. He could feel the tips of her fingers start to turn into claws and dig into his back. He ran his fingers down her back, feeling where the sword had exited her body start to shrink as her body healed itself. When it was fully closed, he gently tried to pull her away.

"Levy…" he murmured, grabbing her shoulders and easing her away. She reluctantly let go, licking her lips as he drew her back. Her eyes were no longer a deep brown but instead a fiery red, "You ok?"

She blinked and looked down at her chest, running her fingers across her pale flesh, now completely intact, "I'm… not human?"

"Levy!" Lucy hugged her, "We thought we were going to lose you,"

"So you're a vampire now?" Natsu looked at her curiously, "Cool…"

"There's nothing cool about her dying!" Grey yelled, smacking him on the back of the head.

"Juvia is happy you're going to be alright," she smiled.

"Now we can all go home," Wendy smiled, helping Levy stand.

"No we can't," Erza suddenly interrupted, "Levy can't go back to Fiore,"

Silence fell over the group. Levy's eyes shimmered as she looked at her friend, "I… I can never go home?"


	11. Chapter 11

"The barrier that separates our two worlds was specifically made to keep away the… people… who live in the Dark Lands," Erza explained, her eyes looking between Gajeel and Levy, "If you try to cross it, Levy, you'll be killed,"

"…but…" she looked down at her feet, "isn't there any way? What about my family? What about you guys?"

"We can always come to visit," Lucy smiled weakly.

Gajeel didn't meet any of their gazes. He felt incredibly guilty, a feeling that he resented. He knew if he'd been stronger he could have saved her without having to turn her. And what about that power? He controlled the blood of the humans that had held them down – a trait he thought had only belonged to the vampires of legend. But looking at Levy's friends, he saw them as they were. He couldn't see their veins nor could he feel the connection to their life force as he had Jose's men. Either way, in the end he hadn't really succeeded in saving Levy. He'd merely trapped her in his world of darkness… a thought that sent a sharp pain to his heart.

"What if she talked to Makarov?" Wendy piped. All eyes suddenly turned to her, "I-I mean… maybe she could explain what happened? Maybe he'd lift the barrier for her,"

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try…" Erza mused.

"So then there's hope?" Levy smiled.

"Of course," Lucy put an arm around her friend.

Gajeel and Pantherlily exchanged looks.

* * *

"I'm sorry, that's just something I can't do," the tiny man looked at Levy with remorse.

"B-But…" Levy started but he just solemnly shook his head. Levy's head drooped, "Why?"

Makarov studied her for a moment before he spoke, "My barrier seals away the darkness from the land of Fiore. I know your heart hasn't changed but that doesn't negate the fact that you are now part of the darkness."

Gajeel crossed his arms, not much caring for all the 'darkness' and 'evil' talk. He'd been called evil ever since he'd become a vampire and it had never really bothered him before, but suddenly he hated it, especially since those characteristics now belonged to Levy…

_'…and its all your fault…'_

He blinked, his lip twitching as he held back a snarl. Did anyone else hear that?

"But Makarov, she's still our Levy. The only thing that's changed is… well… her eating habits," Lucy said, despair in her eyes.

Makarov sighed, obvious deliberating his next words. He took in a deep breath, "Before any of you were born, in a time before me or my father, the world was without barriers or Dark Lands. Vampires and other dark creatures didn't walk the earth, there were only humans toiling about in their day-to-day life. War ravaged the lands, a war that claimed the lives of many people, good and bad alike. Then one day, a king came to power and he claimed to eradicate the world of war for his people…"

"I've heard this story before," Natsu sighed loudly, dropping onto his bum like a child listening to their grandfather's boring storytelling. He immediately got a hard look from Makarov before he continued.

"This king heard of a great source of power and he went in search of it. No one knows where he went or how he found it, it's only said that Zeref himself granted him this great power. He was promised immortality and the ability to destroy armies at a great cost. He was consumed by the darkness that the power brought with it and went on to decimate many innocent people. He conquered many lands and defeated anyone who rose against him. And so, the lands did indeed come together but only in the hopes to destroy the monster he had become. None of them could succeed."

"With all due respect, Makarov," Erza inserted quietly, "that's just a legend,"

"It's far more than a legend," he gazed at Levy, his eyes somber, "vampires are his legacy. Though you are not evil yourself, you are still a part of that darkness that consumed him, as diluted as it is. Until that evil no longer exists in this world, my barrier will stay. Unfortunately, that means you are unable to leave the Dark Lands,"

"Isn't there a way you can make an exception so just Levy can go through?" Lucy pushed. Makarov just shook his head.

Levy's shoulders drooped and she felt overwhelmed. Her heart felt heavy in her chest and her eyes started to tear. She felt regret fill the entirety of her being. If she'd never gone into the mist, none of this would be happening. She should have never come back that first day she had been attacked by the thuggish men Gajeel had killed. She should have heeded Gajeel's warning and never returned… but she hadn't. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her. What was that saying about curiosity killing the cat? Well, it didn't kill her. It had just turned her into a blood-sucking evil monster…

But if she'd never come to this place she would have never met Gajeel…

"Levy," Makarov broke her from her thoughts and she looked at him dismally, "take heart. You're alive and your friends still love you. There could be worse things that could have happened,"

"I suppose you're right," she sighed, brushing her hair from her face.

"Gajeel," Makarov turned to him, making him jump, "Will you walk with me?"

"Yeah…" he grunted, following after the small man. Levy gave him a worried look and he shrugged. The two exited the castle, walking into the fog. After they were a good distance away, Makarov finally spoke.

"So you're who she's been sneaking off to see?" Makarov said idly, shooting Gajeel a wary look.

"I suppose so,"

"She's a delicate girl," he suddenly turned, facing Gajeel, a fierce look in his eyes, "Take care of her,"

_'…he hates you.'_

"Um… of course," he blinked, his nerves on edge. Having the leader of Fiore threaten you wasn't a laughing matter, not to mention the voice that was constantly invading his thoughts. His hands balled themselves into fists as he stared at the old man in front of him. Even though he towered over him, Gajeel couldn't help but feel terribly small under his gaze; he hated it.

They walked to the edge together in tense silence that neither of them attempted to break. He could tell Makarov was deep in thought and he had no intentions of interrupting him. He'd heard stories about the tiny man, stories that put some of the people in the Dark Lands to shame.

Gajeel suddenly felt his heart seize, a sharp pain shot through him as if he were having a heart attack. His hand grabbed the collar of his shirt, trying to stave of the sudden ripping pain. He looked to Makarov and froze.

He could see Makarov's blueprint, stark and shining against his skin. He could feel the connection suddenly pull at his fingertips and he realized that at that moment, he could dispatch him without a second thought. He could tell that he was powerful, consisting the same ability to master the properties of some sort of element in the same way Natsu could but to a grander scale.

_'…you can kill him…'_

His hand clutched his shirt tighter as he felt a familiar hunger suddenly grip him. _What in the hell is happening to me?_

_'Kill him…'_

Gajeel stopped in his tracks, squeezing his eyes shut against the feelings of rage that had started to climb through his veins. _Calm down, calm down, calm down…_

_'He's going to cross the border. Kill him _now_!'_

As soon as Makarov crossed the border, everything stopped. The voice vanished and the rage faded and he was left feeling completely drained. _What in the hell…_

As soon as Makarov was out of sight he fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around himself at the sudden chill he felt. His skin was crawling and he had to take deep breaths in order to steady himself. The need to feed had never been so fierce before and resisting left him completely exhausted.

"Damn it… what's happening to me?" he growled, pushing himself up and heading into the fog.


	12. Chapter 12

"B-but… I can't _kill_ someone," Levy covered her mouth with her hands, her face mortified at Gajeel's request.

"You have to feed, Levy, otherwise you'll become weak," Gajeel looked down at her, her newly reddened eyes glistening back up at him. He could tell her mind was calculating, trying to find a way out and coming up with none.

"Isn't there… anything? I can't hurt someone… that's awful," she looked down at her feet.

Gajeel once again felt guilt tug at his heart. Here he was again, forcing her to do something that morally repulsed her. He tore her from her friends and family and turned her into a monster. All because he couldn't stop Jose.

_'…you're so weak.'_

"Tch," Gajeel turned his back to her, his voice betraying anger that made her jump, "I'm going to hunt. You either come and learn or start to starve. Your choice,"

"Gajeel…"

He heard her reluctantly following after him, shuffling her feet solemnly after him. He knew she would never be a cold-blooded killer like him. She valued human life far too much for that. He should have never turned her into a vampire. She would have probably preferred death to the life she was forced into now.

_'Such a selfish and stupid man…'_

He quickened his pace, anger making his blood boil. He felt like he was going insane. Maybe what he needed was to feed. When was the last time he'd had a good, thrilling hunt? More than anything he just wanted to destroy something, make somebody bleed. Set something on fire…

_'Like you did her family? Disgusting monster…'_

"Gajeel!" Levy's voice suddenly brought him back to reality. He stopped when he felt her hand on his arm. She looked at him with alarmingly cheerful eyes and flashed him a naively care-free smile, "Wait a minute,"

He regarded her for a moment before turning to face her, "Yeah?"

"I never got to thank you before… for saving me," he blinked. Was she serious? But her smile didn't waver, "Thank you, Gajeel,"

"Uh… sure,"

"That's the second time now, isn't it?" her new fangs glistened in the dim light, "I wonder how many times you're going to end up saving me,"

He just stared down at her, unsure as to how to take her words. How could she not hate his very being? He diverted his gaze from hers, choosing instead to gaze at her bright blue hair that was falling in perfect curls around her face. Despite being turned, she still seemed like such a precious creature…

"Did you mean what you said?" she caught his gaze, interlacing her fingers with his. Her eyes were soft, not hard and dark like his.

"Hm?" What had he said again?"

"When you said you loved me," a light blush started to fill her cheeks, "Did you mean it?"

"Oh… of course," his gaze softened and for the first time that day he felt his fury completely dismissed from his body.

"I love you too," she smiled, leaning her head forward to kiss his chest gently, running her hands up his stomach. The feel of her light touches filled him with a peaceful warmth and he couldn't help kissing her forehead lightly. Her kisses trailed against his shirt and she lifted herself onto her tiptoes so she could continue her way up.

"Levy…" he whispered, leaning down and letting his lips brush hers. She responded hungrily, a fact that sent shivers down his spine. Carnal urges pulled his fingers down her flesh and made his tongue slip past her delicately lips to claim her mouth. He could feel her lean into his touch as his hands caressed her sides. She pressed herself against him, her chest flush against him. He desperately wanted their clothes off, craved her flesh against his as he gave in to his lascivious desires.

"G-Gajeel…!" she gasped when his hands slid over her rear. He lifted her off the ground, pulling her legs to wrap around him. His strength amazed her and without skipping a beat his lips found their way to her neck, his tongue running hot trails against her skin. She let out a quiet moan as his mouth advanced down her throat and collar, heading for the V in her shirt…

"Gajeel! S-Stop!"

He growled against her skin, the sound making her shiver. He could smell her desire and it was driving him mad. He desperately didn't want to stop. He buried his face into her chest, taking a calming breath. He felt her fingers comb gently through his tangle mess of hair. Reluctantly, he lifted her off of him and placed her on the ground.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, "I'm sorry,"

Levy's face was flushed and she kept straightening and re-straightening her dress under his intense stare. She could see the desire that still lurked in his eyes, though he had definitely reined most of it into submission. To her surprise, he place his palm playfully on her head and mussed her hair.

"You're fine, Shorty," he smirked. He was silent for a moment, his eyes studying her, "Why don't you stay? Find Lily or something. I'll go hunting alone."

"B-But…" Levy started, though he could tell she was secretly relieved, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah… I'll… figure something out," he grunted, turning his back to her.

He could hear her retreating footsteps as he continued into the night. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't terrified to be alone with himself anymore. The voice in his mind was driving him mad. He was thinking different things and feeling different ways that he wasn't used to. Truth be told, he was an angry man with a bad temper, but never had rage shaken him so strongly before… and the occurrences were becoming more and more frequent. His dreams were being haunted as well. He could hear voices, a multitude of them in his dreams calling him forward to some destination. He didn't know where it was but he knew it was somewhere he didn't really feel like going.

He pushed the thoughts aside, instead focusing on the present. He was on the outskirts of a small broken village. The place was a known hub of criminal activity. Any families there were either too poor to leave or the product of a one night stand with a woman of questionable values. It was a place where men preyed in the darkness for an unsuspecting woman to pass by or where money was something that quickly left your pockets or got you killed. A slum where moss clung to stonewalls and bar fights often led to murder.

_Levy wouldn't have been able to stomach this place anyway…_ he growled to himself as he leapt on top of the dilapidated roof of a pub. His predatory senses heightened as he scanned the area. He crept from rooftop to rooftop, blending in perfectly with the ever-lurking shadows. A multitude of noises made his ears twitch as he quickly classified them in his mind, discerning what he needed from background noise. As he closed on a familiar alleyway, he heard something that caught his attention.

"Let me go!" a woman shrieked. Passersby crossed the path without a wink, preferring non-involvement to the possibility of the assailant turning on them. Gajeel remembered a time when he would have just walked past, but recently it seemed he had a complex for saving damsels in distress.

"Shaddup you bar whore," an aggravated and obviously drunk voice replied. Gajeel jumped onto the cobblestone of the alley, making the man flinch as he looked behind him. Gajeel could smell the liquor oozing out of his pores as if he'd just come from taking a bath in alcohol. His lip curled into a snarl and a growl ripped past his lips, causing the two to freeze at the sight of him.

"Eh… whadda ya think yer doin?" the brute yelled, "Can't ya see we need privacy?"

He winked at the girl trapped in his arms and she shuddered in reply, her eyes looking to Gajeel pleadingly. Usually he would have been showier, but at the moment Gajeel was too hungry and irritated to care. Inducing fear into a near unconscious drunkard wasn't exactly at the top of his list of things to do either. He smirked, his fangs flashing in the dark light.

"I don't think your little nymph there agrees," he chuckled darkly.

Realization had donned on the wriggling woman and she was now completely frozen in terror. The drunkard, however, was far to slow to comprehension. Gajeel lunged, the action too fast for their eyes to catch until his claws had reached their destination on the man's throat.

The blood was foul to say the least. He could taste the alcohol that was still very thick in his victim's system and his skin had been grime covered, but a meal it was and it invigorated him nonetheless. He discarded the body haphazardly on the ground, regarding its existence little more than a king would table scraps. He wiped the last drops from his lips and shook them off his fingers in distaste.

"Disgusting…" he growled, licking his fangs. He turned to leave and found himself staring into the terrified eyes of the bargirl. She was shaking under his gaze and he found himself actually feeling bad for making her that way. The man with bad intentions he could kill without batting an eyelash. What was with him and helpless women lately? Rather abruptly, he knelt down besides her, making her flinch away from him. He rolled his eyes.

_Kill her._

He felt the pressure hit him, now familiar in his heart. It was like a devil tugging at him but instead of resting on his shoulder it resided in his soul where it could pull stronger strings and make him nothing more than a puppet fighting its master. His vision turned against him, filling his eyes with the delicate texture of her skin and the gentle branching of her veins beneath her skin. Her scent filled his nostrils with the saccharine smell of iron that he had come to recognize with the sweetest of desires. His throat longed for the heat to flow through him.

_Kill her._

Despite himself, he found his fingers reaching for her trembling form. He felt like he was on the brink of a dream, lucid and yet not fully understanding his actions. He grasped her shoulders gently and brought her close. He could feel her terrified breath against his face as his eyes bore into her.

_Give in to your desire._

He brought his hand up to cup her cheek gently and he felt her skin warm to his touch. He could tell she'd never been touched so gently before and her response was one that surprised him. She sighed against him, as if resigning to her fate.

_Kill her._

It was almost erotic to drink from her. Her flesh was soft and yielding and she didn't struggle in his grasp. When his fangs had punctured her skin she hadn't moved, her only response a quiet gasp. It wasn't rage that gripped him as her life slowly drifted away, but a sincere calm. He had finally given in and it was so much more beautiful than the struggle to fight it. The voice was fading as he fed. It was as if the bloodshed was enough to quell its tongue.

_Give in to your desire._

_Give in._

_Give._

_In._


	13. Chapter 13

Levy had fallen asleep in the library while enraptured in the history that the Dark Lands had to offer. She stretched, the action making her bones creak and her muscles sigh. She looked to the balcony and realized that it must be morning from the slightly brighter tone of light that filtered in. Groggily, she pulled herself up to meander into the hallway, her stomach calling attention to her hunger.

"Lily! Gajeel!" she called down the halls, her ears straining for an answer. She found her way down to the first story where Lily usually spent his time now, his injured side making it tedious to ascend stairs. To her surprise, she found him pacing restlessly.

"Lily? Is something wrong?" she grabbed the werecat's arm to stop him.

"Oh, it's nothing I'm sure," he grunted, his ears flattening against his head, "Gajeel hasn't come back yet,"

"He's been out all night?" Levy's forehead creased in worry. She was sure he'd be able to handle himself if something were to happen, but while she'd been there he'd never gone hunting all night and the look of worry being betrayed in Lily's eyes showed that this definitely wasn't a regular occurrence. The vision of his body pinned to the wall of the library flashed through her mind. Even after Gajeel and Lily had done their best to clean the massacre from the room, bloodstains still remained on the floor and the shelf he had been fixed to had been completely destroyed.

"Yeah… I'm sure he's fine though," he and Levy exchanged a look.

"Let's go find him," she smiled up at him, "It wouldn't hurt to check,"

"Good point," Lily grunted.

They headed in the direction Levy had last seen him depart, hoping that he hadn't changed course. Lily denounced that he must have gone to a small village that rested just out of reach of the castle's view, as that was where he usually chose to hunt. The term made Levy shudder. She couldn't dream of hurting another human being, but them she hadn't been raised in the harsh environment that was the Dark Lands.

As they approached the outskirts of the village, it soon became apparent that something was very, very wrong.

Smoke mingled in the fog around them and they could see a red haze in the distance. _Fire,_ Levy realized as they approached. Looming in the darkness, they began to make out the empty shapes of burning houses. Strange shapes started to appear in the fog as they approached. To her horror, she realized they were the shapes of bodies piled on the ground. Long red shafts impaled some of them and others had their throats slit open. Blood oozed into the ground, forming large black puddles on the ground.

Levy was shaking, the gore around her almost too much to bear. Twisted faces with blind eyes stared at her, their mouths agape with screams that were forever silenced. Men. Women. Children. None were spared in the slaughter.

"D-Did Gajeel…?" Levy looked up to Lily, desperately wanting him to tell her she was wrong. He didn't respond, only stared at the carnage that was surrounding them. He put his arm around Levy as if trying to stave off the horror that was quickly filling her soul.

_"My name is Death, hast heard of me? All kings and princes bow down unto me…" _

The words wafted on the breeze like a phantom's. The two froze as they heard the voice, its song haunting and filling their hearts with dread.

"Gajeel?" Levy whispered.

_"I'll have no gold, I'll have no pearls. I'll have no costly rich robes to wear…"_

"C'mon, let's follow it," Lily pulled at her gently, leading her forward.

_"…I cannot spare you a little while nor allow you time your life to lament. Nor allow you time your life to lament…"_

Levy felt truly and completely scared. The haunting voice tugged them forward gently as if guiding them to their death. Dread, cold and penetrating, filled her lungs and made it hard for her to breathe. She could see a body lying in a large puddle of blood; its form the source of the voice. As they approached she could make out black hair fanning out around a pale face with a large, fanged grin.

_"And not long after, this fair maid died. _'Write on my tomb,'_ the lady cried, _'Here lies a poor distressed maid whom Death now lately,' _Whom Death now lately. Whom Death now lately hath betrayed…"_

"G-Gajeel…" Levy whispered, clutching Pantherlily's arm.

His eyes opened, glowing and red. His grin widened into a sadistic smile and his tongue slithered across his fangs. He brought his hand up and put his fingers to his mouth so he could lick the blood from them. The sight made Levy want to run and hide.

"Gajeel!" Pantherlily growled, catching the cruel vampire's attention, "What in the hell is the meaning of this?!"

A bubbling giggle turned into a screeching laugh that shook his body, "Gajeel isn't heeeeere…" he crooned.

He came to his feet, the motion fluid and reminded Levy of a snake. Blood had soaked through his clothes and dripped off of his fingers and hair. Levy recoiled behind Lily as his gaze fell on her, eliciting another laugh from Gajeel's lips.

"Does my appearance frighten you, love?" he cackled, "Want your little nightmare to disappear?"

Levy and Lily gasped as the blood pulled away from his clothes, forming little bubbled that floated in the air around him. His smile was sinister and his eyes started to glow a more intense red. He lifted his hand to the sky and as he did so the clouds and mist shifted and parted, allowing a single beam of light to flow gently around them. The bodies and blood vanished, replaced by bustling feet and happy faces. Children skipped past them and vanished into fully refurbished shops.

"Is that better, love?" he sneered at her, laughter starting to bubble past his lips.

"This… isn't Gajeel…" Lily growled, pulling his sword off of his back and brandishing it before him, "Levy… run,"

"What? I-I can't…"

"Levy…"

Suddenly, Gajeel lunged forward, the illusion fading as he did so. He grabbed Pantherlily by the throat and threw him to the side, sending him crashing through a burning building.

"LILY!" Levy screamed, turning to rush after him. A strong hand grabbed her arm and jerked her back, capturing her.

"I was thinking…" she looked into the eyes of her capturer. She could smell blood, harsh and metallic, filling the air around them. Despite herself, she felt her hunger panging at her stomach, "If you won't drink the blood of some innocent _human_, why not just take mine? I don't mind doing your killing for you…"

"Stop it!"

"What's the matter, love? Don't want my help? I thought you said you loved me?" he sneered, his face nearing hers.

"STOP IT!"

His mouth captured hers, his slick tongue pushing past her lips. The kiss didn't provoke fire in her veins like the ones before; all it did was make her feel sick. Tears made her eyes sting as she tried to yank free of his grasp. Bringing her free hand up, she brought it around and smacked him hard across his face, making his face jerk to the side and him relinquish his hold on her. Levy immediately covered her mouth, remorse and fear bunching up her stomach.

He turned to her and her heart fell in her ribcage with relief. His eyes were normal, red irises around black slits. His brow was creased in perplexity at her.

"YOU BASTARD!" Lily roared, slamming into him and sending them both careening off into the fog.

"What the fuck, Lily!"

She ran after them, hearing the sound of a sword hitting stone. She turned the corner of a crumbling stonewall and found them circling each other. Lily's muscles rippled as he raged, his lips pulled back to reveal serrated teeth.

"Women?! CHILDREN?!" Lily spat at him, adding to the vampire's confusion. It suddenly dawned on Levy that he had no idea as to what was going on.

"Lily! Stop! He doesn't remember anything!" Levy ran up to try to stop him but he had already lunged, his fist connection with Gajeel's jaw with enough force to send him flying against the wall and hitting his head so hard a resounding _crack_ could be heard. He fell to the ground and didn't move.

Levy fell to his side, desperately checking to see if he was still alive. Pantherlily huffed, his body shaking with rage. He just glared angrily at his limp body, growls ripping past his throat. Tears fell from Levy's eyes.

"Gajeel… what happened to you?"


	14. Chapter 14

"I'm starting to wonder if he's succumbing to the madness," Lily huffed, staring at Gajeel's unconscious body. They had carried him back and laid him in his bed. The side of his face was turning purple from Lily's hit and he showed no signs of waking up.

"What do you mean?" Levy said, sitting next to Gajeel and brushing her fingers across the bruise on his face.

"Sometimes when a human is turned, something about their makeup won't allow the change. It could be genetic or something with their personality, but they go mad. Though, it usually only happens with new vampires… and its not so bloody," Pantherlily crossed his arms, concern clear on his face, "I've known him since he was a mercenary. I've always seen him as the killer… its hard to picture him actually dying,"

Levy felt like she was going to cry again. Despite what had happened, she was still in love with him. She knew the Gajeel that had been in the village wasn't him, this made apparent by how confused he was after she'd made him come to. It was almost as if he'd been under a spell.

"Lily…" she whispered, drawing the cat's attention, "Is there anything else that could be wrong?"

"I don't know," he looked at his friend somberly.

"I'm going to the library," she suddenly declared, taking Lily off guard.

"Why?" he lifted an eyebrow at her. He could see determination in her eyes as she headed for the door.

"I'm going to try and find out more about vampires. Maybe I can find something, maybe even something to reverse the… madness. If you want to help me, why don't you try to find me more books?" she looked at him over her shoulder.

He smiled weakly at her. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't going to give up. He glanced at Gajeel one last time before walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder, "I'll be back soon. I know the right place to look… but will you be ok if he wakes up?"

"I'm sure I'll be ok. Besides, it doesn't look like he's going to be awake anytime soon. I'll find a way to keep him here if he does, though,"

He nodded and started down the hall, "Be careful,"

"I will," she turned and headed for the library. She would do what she did best: read.

* * *

_Gajeel… _

Gajeel knew he was dreaming… he had to be right? The last thing he had remembered was drinking the blood of the barmaid before he blacked out. He saw snippets of things. Fire roaring in the haze of his mind and people screaming. He remembered losing energy suddenly and falling to the ground, something warm and sticky covering his flesh. Sometimes he felt adrenaline rushing through his veins but it was all like a dream, a hazy nightmare full of death and fire. He remembered the smell of burning flesh and the remnants of an old folk song… and Levy's voice…

He stood in his dream and saw her standing there, blood pooled around her feet. Her mouth was open and screaming something but no sound came out. Her brown eyes were filled with horror and he kept wondering why.

_'Gajeel…'_

"Stop it!"

Stop what? He was walking up to her, desperately wondering what was going on. He wanted to try to calm her down and pull her into his arms. She was pulling away from him, repulsion on her face.

"STOP IT!"

_'Gajeel…'_

She smacked him across the face; the force making his head snap to the side and a popping noise came from the base of his neck. The action less hurt him and more stunned him. He looked at her questioningly but she only looked revolted, her body recoiling from him.

"Levy?" he held his hands to his sides and she turned from him, her blue hair wiping around behind her. She looked back, her eyes full of anger.

"I hate you…" she whispered, her eyes flashing red, "You monster."

A weight could have just fallen and crushed him. He reached out to touch her arm, make her turn around and explain. When his hand touched her skin she screamed as if it burned her.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, pulling away from him, "You're a monster! Why did you do this to me?! Why did you make me like you?!"

"Levy… I…"

"Stay away from me! I hate you!"

She turned and ran from him, tears falling from her eyes. He ran after her, his heart feeling like it was being ripped to pieces.

_'Gajeel…'_

"Fuck! Shaddup!" he screamed, his voice resounding into nothingness as blackness stretched around him. He turned in circles, trying to find Levy again, but she was nowhere to be found. The blackness had engulfed her as she fled from him.

_'She thinks you're a monster,'_

"Who in the hell are you?! Get out of my head!"

_'I'm afraid I can't.'_

"SHADDUP!" his voice filled the black void around him. His limbs were shaking and he felt like all of his energy was gone. He fell to his knees as something akin to grief wracked his body. He desperately prayed for silence.

_'What god are you going to call on for help? Who would help a homicidal vampire?'_

"Stop talking…" Gajeel whispered. His skin was crawling. He felt like his sanity was slowly being chipped away. The voice had never been there before. The first time he'd started hearing voices was when he killed Jose...

_'What? Did you think you could kill him by yourself? Don't make me laugh…'_

"Where in the hell are you?!" Gajeel bellowed. The voice resounded around him, coming from everywhere and yet nowhere. He turned around in circles, looking for it source and yet finding nothing. His only company was the darkness that was starting to smother him.

_'I'm everywhere and yet I don't exist. I'm like a shadow in the night, my own being and yet a part of everything. I consume everything. Honestly, Gajeel Redfox, how do you expect to catch a shadow?' _

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

_'If you insist…'_

Blaring light suddenly flooded his vision and he was forced to cover his eyes. He blinked several times, trying to get his eyes to focus. When he could finally open his eyes, he scanned around him. There was nothing, just unending white leading in all directions.

A sigh, so slight it could have been the wind, startled him and made him spin around. His eyes widened as his shadow stretched out before him, growing larger and larger until two red eyes opened and a large toothy grin smiled up at him. It lifted off of the ground and solidified. Staring back at Gajeel was his own likeness, but with glowing red eyes and teeth like a shark's.

Gajeel took a step back, "What the hell…"

_"What's wrong?" _although the face and body was his, the voice was unfamiliar. Every word dripped with malice like a poison that made his blood run cold. Bad men Gajeel was very familiar with. He'd even become accustomed to Jose's dark presence that filled the air like a dark cloud around him. But this... This voice was like black ink that blotted out the sun. It reminded him of screams for mercy and burning churches. His whole body felt uneasy at the sight in front of him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Gajeel growled, baring his teeth.

_"Who am I?" _he laughed, his teeth flashing_, "I'm just the answers to your prayers, aren't I? You wanted power to destroy your enemies, didn't you? You wanted to give in to your dark desires… I just gave you a little help,"_

"Well Jose is dead. I don't need you anymore," Gajeel retreated another step. He had a feeling the shadow before him wouldn't leave easily. In fact, its smile widened until it was unnaturally large.

_"Is that what you think?" _he smile made Gajeel's stomach turn. The shadow started to circle him like a vulture around a dying animal, _"Who in the hell do you think you are? You think you can survive without me? Seriously? Don't make me laugh,"_

Gajeel lunged for it, bringing his claws around to slice his flesh. To his dismay, it dissipated. He could feel the chill as he fell through its body, the sudden cold making his limbs freeze and his lungs constrict. When he hit the ground he felt as if all the air had been sucked from his lungs.

_"Pathetic,"_ it spat at him, reforming. His grin was gone from his lips and he reached down and grabbed Gajeel by the throat, digging his claws into his flesh, _"You don't need my help you say? I think you're lying to yourself. Isn't there something else you desire? Something you desire more than when you wanted Jose dead?"_

Realization filled Gajeel's heart with terror, "You won't touch her…"

The shadow's hand constricted, making Gajeel choke, _"What do you take me for, to murder an innocent girl? No… that's you, my friend."_

"I didn't…" Gajeel could feel blood filling his throat and mouth.

_"Didn't you?" _he sneered. He brought his other hand up to touch Gajeel's forehead. Suddenly, visions flooded through his mind, memories he had no idea he had. He killed the barmaid and them rampaged through the village slaughtering everything he saw. People fought back and he eradicated them all. No one was left alive when he finally fell into a puddle of blood, all of his energy spent.

_"What was that about not killing innocents?" _the shadow mocked.

"Th-That wasn't me… that was you," Gajeel felt bile start to make its way up his throat. Bloody bodies were still flashing in his mind and it made him shudder.

_"But we're one and the same, Gajeel. It _was_ you. No I understand you completely, my friend. You want your little girlfriend, your little _Levy_ to be human again. I don't blame you. The guilt must eat you up inside to know you robbed her of her life. You're disgusting, really,"_

He dropped Gajeel onto the ground where he sputtered up blood onto the white floor. Gajeel looked up at the smiling shadow, his eyes guarded as he wiped the blood from his lips.

"You… you can change her back?" Gajeel whispered, unwilling to let hope fill him just yet.

_"Why of course. All you need to do is ask. But first, of course, I need a few things,"_

"What are they?" Gajeel growled, biting his lip in frustration.

_"Oh nothing big. Blood of course, but that's not out of the ordinary for you, is it? And of course, the use of your body from time to time. How do you expect me to get around, otherwise? The rest I can handle myself. When the time comes that I've everything prepared, then the rest will be easy. I'll just need you to bring your little Levy to a special place for me, and then by the end of the night she'll be her old self once again. It's all really simple," _

"You won't hurt her?"

_"Like I said, who do you take me for? I would never slaughter a sweet, innocent light-dweller. Please, Gajeel, you have my word. I'm just your humble servant, here to help,"_

"You'll change her back, and then you'll leave me alone?" Gajeel growled, untrusting of the glowing eyes staring back at him.

_"Of course," _the shadow held out his hand, a half-smirk coming to his face, _"Do we have a deal?"_

Gajeel stretched out his hand towards the shadow's.

_"Oh, and, um… this might sting just a bit,"_


	15. Chapter 15

Levy didn't know how long she'd been reading but by the time she had a huge pile of books stacked beside her she felt emotionally exhausted. She had learned so much and yet absolutely nothing at all. She had found a few articles about the Madness that Pantherlily and had talked about, but everything they described didn't sound like what was happening to Gajeel. All documented cases of vampires that suffered from the Madness were all young, just a couple weeks or maybe 6 months old. Gajeel had been a turned for about two decades. Not to mention, those that suffered from the Madness shied away from the outside world in order to 'save it from themselves'. They would refuse to feed and then eventually refuse any outside contact, which usually led to them starving themselves. Others would hunt and feed but were so repulsed about it that the internal conflict would cause them to go insane. Once again, didn't sound like Gajeel. He killed mercilessly, especially when he came to save her from Jose.

The thought made her shudder.

She closed her book with a sigh and rubbed her temples. This was getting her absolutely nowhere and she knew it. She stretched, her shoulders and arms creaking angrily at her for having not moved in so long.

While reading she hadn't found anything that would imply a split personality, which Gajeel seemed to have all of a sudden. When his eyes glowed red, he suddenly had the ability to do amazing and terrible things. He'd destroyed the entirety of Jose's brigade with just a flick of his wrist. He controlled the blood similarly to how Natsu could control fire. She wondered if maybe it even worked the same way?

She'd asked Natsu once how he could make a tiny flame into a raging inferno and seem to bend it at its will. He'd only shrugged and replied, "I dunno. Fire was never an inanimate object to me. I just… I dunno… talk to it, but not with words, with my mind, and it does what I say. It's kinda strange to explain, really."

Levy scratched her head, looking at the rows of books. Mysticism maybe?

Levy jumped as a blood-curdling scream filling the halls. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at the dim halls with wide eyes. Again, the screams echoed down the halls and she realized it was Gajeel. Pushing back her fear, she ran down the hall to his room.

"Gajeel!"

He was lying in the bed, his eyes wide and dilated. His back was arched and he was clutching his right arm, digging his claws into his own flesh. The smell of blood filled her nostrils and she rushed to his side, trying to pull his offending arm away. Pain was etched on his face and sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Gajeel! What's wrong?" she tried to calm him down but he didn't seem to see or hear her. She was wondering if he might go into shock.

"Oh my god…" she gasped, looking at his right arm. The tips of his fingers were black. The veins on his arm were standing out as the inky blackness slithered up his veins, creeping up his arm and over his shoulder it was slowly making its way to his neck and chest. It curled like fingers around his heart, and as it did so, he suddenly fell quiet.

"G-Gajeel?" his body was shaking and he was dragging in tattered breaths. She reached down to shake him but he didn't move. She shook him again and he groaned, a weak noise that reminded her of a child who didn't want to wake up in the morning.

Her brow furrowed, curiosity eating at her. She stared at his arm. The black in his veins pulsed with his heartbeat and yet it wasn't spreading to any other part in his body. The tips of her fingers tingled with want to run them against his skin. Stealing a quick look to make sure he was still asleep, she reached over to run her fingers against his, tracing his swollen veins. Her hand traced up his arm, sliding under his sweat-drenched shirt. With her other hand, she delicately touched his chest. His skin was so hot against her hands and she found herself leaning over him and watching his face. He looked so serene compared to just moments ago…

His eyes suddenly flashed open and he grabbed her, pulling her down and rolling on top of her. The movement was so fast she couldn't react and suddenly he was on his hands and knees over her, his eyes meeting her in an intense gaze. The position made her skirt slink up her thighs and a blush came to her cheeks. To her surprise, he smiled, but not maliciously. His smile was soft and genuine; it was Gajeel's smile.

"Geehee," he smirked at her, "What's up, shrimp?"

"Gajeel…" she sighed, relieved, "Are you ok?"

"Hmm? Of course," he smiled at her, his canines flashing in the light.

Her brow furrowed, "What's wrong with your arm?"

His eyes didn't move from hers although his smile faded slightly, "You shouldn't worry about me so much."

"Of course I'm going to worry about you! If you haven't noticed, I kind of care about you," she tried to push him off of her but he didn't budge. He just gave her a quizzical look.

"I'm worried about you," he said, his voice low, "You still haven't had anything to drink, have you?"

She diverted her gaze and bit her lip, suddenly feeling very small under him, "I… I can't. I'm not like you," her voice was barely above a whisper, "I don't want to hurt people,"

The look in his eyes was full of guilt and she immediately regretted what she said. He diverted his gaze from her, his pitch-black hair spilling down his shoulders and covering his eyes. His fingers dug into the sheets under her.

"Gajeel… I didn't mean…" his gaze turned onto her then, fierce and full of resolve.

"I'll find a way to change you back,"

"What? But that's impossible…"

"I will, if it kills me,"

"Gajeel, don't say that," she brought her hand up to cup his cheek, giving him the most care-free smile she could manage, "I'll be happy as long as I can be with you."

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes not relenting, until he finally let out a sigh. He kissed her wrist gently, the soft gesture making her skin tingle against his lips. She could feel his fangs brush against her flesh.

"You still need to feed…" he breathed, his red eyes flashing intensely as he met her gaze once more. He brought his hand up to his neck and to her horror he dug in his claws. She tried to protest but she was weak from her starvation and the smell that hit her made her mouth water. He pulled his hair to the side and leaned over her, nearing so close that a single drop fell onto her chest.

Her body acted of its own accord as she entangled her fingers in his hair and brought him close. Hesitantly, she ran her tongue against the flesh of his neck, the taste sending zings of electricity through her veins. As she bit down into his surface, she could feel his chest rattling as a growl formed deep in his throat.

The act of sharing blood, to her, seemed almost erotic. Her nerves were standing on end and she could feel energy pulsing through her. She sucked hungrily as she arched her back, pulling him down to lie against her. She could feel the steady beat of his heart against her fingers as they made their way down his spine.

"Mmmnh… Levy…"

All of a sudden her senses were raging. She could smell his arousal and he hers, and the knowledge alone was almost enough the drive her insane. Her fingers started to hastily slide off his shirt as she finally relinquished her hold on his neck. As soon as her lips were free he found them and captured them roughly, his tongue sliding past to mingle with her own. His hands found their way up her thighs and to her rear, making her jump in surprise. She could feel his smile against her lips.

"Geehee…"

His lips made a fiery path down the curve of her neck as he made his way to her chest. She couldn't help rubbing her legs together in anticipation as his tongue slid over the V of her dress. He was quick to expose her, disregarding the blush that came to her cheeks as he did so. He ran his fingers against her cool skin, lingering around her nipples. Meanwhile, his tongue was making how trails against her skin, inducing goose bumps and quiet moans from his partner. He sucked on her sensitive buds gently, making her arch her back against him.

She marveled in the feeling of his tongue against her skin. She'd read racy romance novels before, she wasn't completely inept. However, she had no idea such simple and gentle touches could make such a hot fire run through her veins and make her core feel as if molten lava were churning inside of her. She couldn't keep her hands from entangling in his hair, craving more.

His lips left her flesh and she moaned her displeasure. She felt his lips touch the fabric of her dress, making their way down her stomach as his hand slid her skirt higher. A new wave of color filled her cheeks and she rubbed her legs together against him. His fingers found their way up her thighs, rubbing light circles against her skin. She sucked in a quick breath when she felt his tongue running up her thigh and nip at her underwear. He kissed down the hem until he came to her heat.

"Gajeel!" she gasped when she felt his tongue pressing against her. He pushed light kisses against the barrier, each one making her let out quiet moans. She felt his finger slide the offending material out of the way, allowing his tongue to slide against her heat and cause a whine to snake its way from between her lips. She could feel herself getting higher and higher as he ran his tongue up and down her slit.

A hiss slid past her lips when she felt his finger slide inside of her. She squeezed her eyes shut as pleasure raced through her. His lips found his way to her clitoris where he licked and sucked gently, making her breathing become tattered as he worked her senses. She was climbing, the pleasure sending her to foreign heights. When he slid a second finger into her heat she felt herself teetering on the edge as ragged moans ripped past her lips.

"Gajeel… stop…!"

He hit something inside of her that made her tumble into ecstasy. The feeling was indescribable and rocked her body with so much force she didn't know if she could stand it. His tongue was running up and down her slit, eating her as if she were some kind of delicacy. When she finally descended from her high, she heard a growl come from his lips. She opened her eyes to see him sitting on his heels, licking his lips with a feral look in his eyes.

She blushed so hard her ears burned, "I'm… sorry…"

"Geehee… for what?" he smiled at her, his teeth flashing in the dim light. She averted her gaze from him, embarrassment eating her up on the inside, "Hey… c'mere,"

He pulled her against his chest and laid down next to her, curling his arms around her and pulling the sheets over them. He kissed her ear sweetly and ran his hands up and down her sides soothingly. The amount of care in his touch astonished her and she found herself relaxing in his arms. Soon, she drifted quietly off to sleep to his voice humming softly in her ear.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! Long time no see? I would like to apologize for my absence. Some things came up with work and I got a little depressed which made it very difficult for me to write for a while. So, sorry again for vanishing off the face of the earth! I'm not going to promise a chapter a day like I did before because I'm still trying to get through a few things but I will be updating still! I didn't abandon the story. So, sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes in advance. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. **

* * *

"Levy, wake up,"

Levy groaned, bunching the covers around her chin. She didn't remember being quite so chilled when she had fallen asleep. Reluctantly she opened her eyes to meet Pantherlily's gaze, his eyes creased in worry.

"Mmm?"

"Where's Gajeel?"

"He's right…" she looked behind her and then jumped up, looking around the room as if she'd find him there, "B-but… he was right here…"

"I thought you said you'd make sure he wouldn't leave," Lily growled at her, "What happened?"

"Well… nothing," she blushed, the memory of the night before bringing heat back to her body. Pantherlily narrowed his eyes at her before letting out a loud huff.

"Here," he tossed a large book onto the bed. Its cover was made of genuine leather and its pages yellowed with time. Her eyes widened as she took in the look of it. A single locked buckle held the large thing together. Her eyes flashed back to him, but he'd already turned to leave, "I'll go track him down. Hopefully he hasn't killed anybody yet."

Levy flinched at the coolness of his tone, "W-what is this?" she asked, running her fingers over the cover. It was cool to the touch and she felt something tugging at her insides, as if it were calling to her.

"I dunno," he sighed, looking at her over his shoulder, "I was hoping you could figure it out,"

With that, he left, leaving her with the giant tome sitting beside her.

It was strange to say, but she felt as if the thing were alive. The notion sent a chill across her skin. She pulled it into her lap, the leather feeling clammy against her skin. She tugged at the lock but found it wouldn't budge. She even tried to cut the strap that held it together but it wouldn't so much as tear. She turned the book over, looking for maybe an inscription that could be etched onto its surface. There was nothing, only timeworn stains that turned the tan leather darker shades of brown.

Her brows furrowed at her predicament. Lily hadn't given her a key and hadn't made any mention of one even though there was clearly a lock. Where had he gotten the strange thing from, anyway?

There were a few enchanted books that had existed in Fiore, but most were considered cursed by dark magics and either locked behind glass cases or, to Levy's horror, burned. She knew a few simple incantations that were known to break such enchantments, but she had a sinking feeling none of them would work. She could tell by the feel of the manuscript in her arms that something dark was being concealed between its covers. Something lost to memory by hundreds of years of time.

She ran her fingers over the binding one more time, sliding them over the lock, and jumped when something sharp grabbed her finger. She sucked in a breath and bit her lip, her eyes widened as a trail of blood began to seep from the tips of her finger and droplets landed onto the leather binding. Horror gripped her and she hastily tried to wipe it off, hoping the offending substance wouldn't stain the cover.

Suddenly, the lock clicked and fell open. A groan came from the binding as the book opened by itself in her arms, its pages sighing open and sending an upsurge of dust as it did so. The smell of old paper and glue filled her lungs and she stared, wide-eyed at the book.

She let loose a scream, pushing the book off of her lap and to land onto the bed. She scooted away, horror making all of the color drain from her face. She knew what kind of book this was. Back in the time of war, a kind of writing was created to preserve one's memories within the pages of books. Some used it as a last attempt to say goodbye to their families, others tried to hide forbidden secrets or dying wishes. Most were only short letters and were quickly disposed of. Whole _tomes_ however, required much more sacrifice on the author's part.

Bound in the author's own skin and the ink their own blood, dark magic sealed their memories and words within the pages. The author sealed the book with their last breaths and set the requirement for their reopening. Any that were found were usually never opened and disposed of as soon as their discovery. Fiore had none of these forbidden writings, their very existence an abomination. It was said that the spirit of the author still resided amongst the pages.

Levy frantically whipped her hands on her skirt, feelings of disgust and terror making bile begin to rise to her throat. Chills ran across her skin as she huddled herself on the floor, not wanting to see what was on the pages. Her heart was pounding and she felt herself shaking.

Where could Lily have found something like this? And why would he bring it to her thinking it would somehow help Gajeel?

She swallowed hard, trying to gather as much courage as she had. But even as she stood, she felt fear trying to pull her screaming out of the room.

She sat back down onto the bed, kneeling over the book. Her brows furrowed as she stared at the yellow pages. They were completely blank. She flipped through thick pages but found nothing on any of them. The book shifted again, its pages aligning back to open to the middle once again. Every time she turned the pages they'd ruffle back into place.

She glared at the book, not understanding what was going on. It was obvious that the book was one of the dark ones of legend, but why were there no words? Had Lily gone to such lengths as to find one only to get one that was never completed? She ran her fingers through her hair, chewing on her lip as she thought. What was she missing?

She looked at her pricked finger and back at the open book. Her nose scrunched at the thought of ruining its pages with even more droplets of her blood but she couldn't think of anything else. She squeezed the end of her finger, coaxing out another drop that she delicately put on the topmost corner of the page. Expectantly, she stared at the empty page.

One moment passed. Then two.

She let out a frustrated sigh and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. She'd read about them before, so what was she missing? From what she'd ever heard, once you opened the book you could read to your leisure. Maybe the book really was incomplete, a thought that put a pang of hurt into Levy's soul. Someone died trying to create it and their efforts were lost. How terrible.

She opened her eyes, feeling tired even though she had just woken up. What was she going to do now?

She cast one more look on the pages and a gasp came from her lips. Five words were written in blood red on the page.

_My name is Mavis Vermilion._


	17. Chapter 17

Levy stared wide-eyed at the words written on the page. Her breathing became hushed shudders as she tried to understand what her eyes were seeing. Mavis Vermilion? _THE Mavis Vermilion?_ Fiore idolized her as a savior, the one who taught Makarov's ancestors the great magic that had first created the barrier. Without her, the Dark Lands and Fiore would be one and the same and the monsters of the Dark Lands would have roamed rampant in the light country.

But why would she do something like this when she had been victorious in her creation? It was rumored that the reason she hadn't made the barrier herself was because she lacked the magical power that the Makarov family had, but this book was living proof that those speculations were tremendously incorrect. Why had Mavis, the embodiment of light and good in the eyes of Fiore, used such a dark and cursed magic to seal her soul away in the pages of such a book?

Levy could feel herself shaking, but whether it was from fear or anticipation she couldn't tell. She could feel the dark secrets turning in the paper beneath her fingers and her curiosity was eating at the recesses of her brain.

"Mavis Vermilion…" Levy whispered, running her fingers over the aged paper. She didn't know what brought the words to her mind, but she spoke them nonetheless, tasting each syllable on her tongue with care, "Awaken from your sleep."

Words in deep crimson began to appear on the pages, springing up as if alive on the yellowing paper. The letters had minds of their own, arranging themselves into patterns and words and phrases before her very eyes. She didn't even try to hide the amazement on her face as she watched the procession beneath her fingers. She could feel a presence invade the space around her, as if another living being were in the room with her. But the feeling wasn't dark and brooding, it was gentle and comforting, as if a long lost friend had just sat down by her side.

Levy cast her eyes about the room to confirm her solitude and then settled them back again to read the words splayed in a brilliant scarlet against the pages.

_My name is Mavis Vermilion. _

_I am not a fool and the passage of time has not eluded me even as I slumber. Truths, as the ages pass, turn into myth and the horrors of my time have fallen to nothing more but stories to be told by mothers to scare their children. But do not mistake me for a fanatic who lacks her wits as I write to you now. The words that I lay down before you are nothing more than the truth as told to you in the only way I know how, through my own personal involvement. So please, take heed of my words and remember my name. If you want the truth, then you must seek it._

Levy stared at the words, reading and rereading them. Another puzzle, maybe? This time, though, with words? She flipped through the pages to confirm that her hunch was true and let out a thoughtful sigh. She could do this. She'd read hundreds of texts on decoding. She studied the words, trying to decipher some secret message but couldn't make out anything in particular. A couple of times she thought she was getting close but found herself stumbling over her own thoughts once again as she came to another dead end.

"It's something simple, Levy," she sighed, her brow furrowing in exasperation, "Something that she'd want her reader to pick up on…"

_If you want the truth, then you must seek it._

A spell?

"I seek the truth…" Levy murmured, "Quaero verum,"

* * *

_There is a great darkness that resides in this world, a darkness that was long forgotten to the ancient times before language or civilization. This darkness feeds on deception and prides itself in the destruction of nations. A creation of such evil that life turns into cold death in its wake and structures that had once weathered time and storm crumble under its sight. Please believe my words, for I have seen the destruction with my own eyes. _

_Zeref is real and his children are strong in the evil arts. _

_During a time when war ravaged the world, turning brother against brother and father against son, Lord Precht came to power within the Grimoire nation. He held compassion for his people in high regard and favored them above all else. His reign, however, was not without loss and tragedy. Famine raged the small country and soon war also began to eat away at its people. He tried his best to fend for his countrymen and keep his promises of safety to them but was soon faced with a force to great for him to overcome. _

_Desperation is what called the Shadow out of hiding._

_Soon after, Lord Precht came to me and asked me for guidance. Sorrow weighed his heart down heavily and he begged me for a solution to his troubles. I could give him none that could satisfy him and so he left, his despair turning into anger and hate. He closed the gates to his castle, and also his heart, to the suffering of his dying nation. Their cries held no significance for him any longer. Like a mad man, he searched for power enough to destroy the foes knocking on his door, vowing to avenge his fallen compatriots. _

_Hate is what gave the Shadow its strength._

_A servant of Lord Precht came to me, his eyes full of worry for his king. The Lord had finally pulled himself from behind his citadel to aid his ailing nation, but the reunion was not one of joy and celebration. He had changed his name to Lord Hades, refusing to answer by his previous title. His eyes were cold and unfeeling, glistening red like blood. Hate and anger filled his voice and he called about his troops to join in the war that had devastated them. His words were filled with a poison more toxic than a snake's and his lies filled the hearts of his people with a false hope. He rallied his people and called them into action, though few would ever realize he was merely readying his homicidal sacrifice. _

_As the days progressed towards the day of their first battle, Hades had begun to change. His servants were awoken to screams in the night and would often find him wandering about the halls of the castle, eyes blazing scarlet as he babbled to himself like a maniac. Soon, his blood turned to black ink as the Shadow consumed his flesh, feeding off of its host like a parasite. His veins stood out on his skin and turned dark, turning each pump of his heart into a vessel for the spread of the lunacy, which the Shadow fed off of. _

_Finally, the day of the battle came. _

_I cannot express to you the sorrow I felt when I heard the news. For long I had realized that Lord Hades' heart had been tainted with something evil but hadn't comprehended its true nature until that fateful day. Sometimes when I lay in bed at night, I could still hear their cries for help as they finally succumbed to their death._

_Hades reached the power he had so long been searching for. He controlled a terrible magic, the ability to control the blood of human beings and turn it against them. His control stretched through the entirety of his army and the throng of men that had faced them. Within seconds, the battlefield was nothing more than bloodied corpses littering the ground in heaps. The only one left alive was Hades, and he merely smiled at the sight before him. _

_I fully believe that with this act, the Shadow consumed Hades' very soul, stealing away his body and masquerading as the kind Lord in order to wreak havoc on this world. What convinced me of this is when I went to visit Hades. I demanded to know why he was killing his own people and so many others so needlessly. He had all but slaughtered his own people, leaving a few members who worshipped him alive. Only his most trusted were able to even come near him. _

_Words fail me when I try to describe what I encountered that day. Hades no longer existed in this world and yet the man who had answered me so coldly must be him, for her looked and acted just the same. The voice, however, that slithered past his lips choked my lungs like smoke and drove me to my knees. Darkness is a thing I am familiar to, but what I had faced filled my being with the upmost dread. True evil in its most natural form sat on the crumbling throne before me and it smiled at me as if I had been a long time friend. _

_It was then that I realized what I had to do in order to stop the bloodshed. I gathered the most sacred of talismans as I could find and brought them with me to the castle. A red amulet, a dragon's scale, and an angel's feather. With these, I bound the Dark Lord into the catacombs beneath his citadel and called forth the Shadow that lurked inside his body. With as much strength as I could muster, I cast the Shadow into a sleep, sealing its spirit away to not be awakened again. _

_These are my last words, to you, dear reader. They are not meant for the eyes of any other aside from yourself. I have completed the spell and can now feel my soul being pulled away from me. Please believe me when I say this wasn't an easy decision, but I owe it to this world to protect it as best as I can, not only as a living being that walks upon this earth but also as a priestess who's heart cannot bear to be responsible for another bloodbath akin to this. _

_One day the shadow will awaken once again. It will be drawn by sorrow and feed off of pain and hate. If it is able to reach its full potential, I fear for what will become of this world in my absence. And so, with my last breath I fill these pages in the hopes that one day the heir the Vermilion name will find my words and heed them. Destroy the Shadow once and for all. Don't listen to its lies, for it will try to lead you astray. You must remain true to the strength you carry with you and the lives that you bear on your shoulders. _

_You may be small, but you are greater than it could ever hope to be._

_I give you all of my blessing and strength._

_Levy McGarden_


End file.
